Dark Heroism
by I write thingies
Summary: Ladybug and Cat Noir have taken on many Akumatized villains, as well as meeting new heroes along the way. But when a new hero arises, he is nothing like what they've seen before. Now, they must help this new hero through his brutal methods, and vengeful motivation to keep their city safe from this troubled hero, and the threat he brings with him.
1. Chapter 1: To Catch a Criminal

**A/N: So, I got hooked on this show a while ago and decided to create this fanfic, y'know to spice stuff up. I'm pretty busy, but I'll be writing more in my free time. For reference, comment down below for any suggestions or requests. And keep in mind, this is my first time on here, so cut me some slack.**

It was a silent night in Paris. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and her Kwami, Tikki, were sleeping peacefully in their bed. The same goes for the famous fashion model Adrien Agreste, who was also caught in a deep slumber. Both were the devoted protectors of Paris, Ladybug and Cat Noir. They have saved their home...like...a gazillion times from Hawk Moth's akumatized villains, so the fellow Persians had complete a sense of security as long as they were around. But now, they were at their most vulnerable, and that could be taken advantage of.

Paris had many luxuries, such as Stores and successful Businesses. Nobody ever expected a petty crime to take place, trusting that the city was safer than ever. Unfortunately, this was just what many shifty thieves needed. A jewelry store has recently been built, which a few bandits were about to trespass. Each was wearing a simple coat and vest, but they wore Ski Masks to protect their identities. They brandished wooden clubs if they were caught.

"Alrighty then. I scouted for defenses, they're all asleep!", the lead bandit whispered. The 3 other bandits tried to hold in their laughter; this part of Paris was practically defenceless. "But seriously, we need to load this stuff into the bags.", another bandit reminded. "Jerry, you keep watch". "Jerry", slumped his arms in annoyance. "Aw man, I'm always keeping watch.", he complained. The other bandits shook their heads i annoyance and shoved him outside. Jerry grumbled as he leaned up against a light post. He took out his phone for some entertainment, but something was off. His phone reflected off a dark figure above him. Frightened, Jerry looked up quickly...only to find nothing. He sighed with relief, until a sharp katana caught him by his neck and pulled him to the light post, trapping him against it. He barely managed to turn his head, and was met with a frightening sight.

The figure wore a white hood with small cat-like ears over a white and black striped suit, with his face hidden. But the being also sported yellow eyes, with a thin slit for his pupil. The figure whispered "Shhhhh", while putting a figure to his lips. Jerry managed to gasp as the figure tugged the Katana with all his might in one swift motion...

"Dude, Jerry's been taking a while", the lead Bandit observed. "He usually runs back in after a few seconds of patrol." The 2 other bandits shrugged. "Dunno, bro. I'll go check on him", said a thief, breaking the silence.. He casually walked outside, but as he turned the corner of the store, he was struck down with an unknown culprit, knocking him down. The lead Bandit and the other teammate with him widened their eyes in shock as the bandit was dragged away screaming. "Oh god!", one Bandit screamed as he quickly checked on his friend, only to find nothing. The Lead Bandit followed, and they both snuck around to look for their friend. "Uh...b-boss", the other Bandit stammered. "What happened", the lead bandit whispered. The other bandit simply pointed to their friend Jerry leaned up against the Light post...with his severed head barely managing to roll.

The Lead bandit clasped his hands over his mouth. He heard a familiar scream coming from the bandit that disappeared a minute ago. He looked up to see the figure that had been terrorising them, holding their friend by the leg, hanging him off the roof. The figure then dropped the bandit onto the concrete, knocking him out. The figure tilted it's head slightly in observation, before leaping off the roof and landing a few feet in front of the terrified bandits. The bandits trembled in fear as the figure slowly stood up, brandishing a blood-coated katana, before opening his yellow eyes. The lead Bandit barely managed to scream, before the figure dashed forward as everything went black…

Marinette's alarm rang loudly, with each couple of rings becoming more annoying than the last. She groaned as Tikki managed to press the button on her phone to turn off the alarm, ending the shrill noise. "Wake up, Marinette!", Tikki squealed. Marinette was fully awoken, as she got out of bed and rubbed her tired eyes. "Good morning Tikki", Marinette groaned before stretching her arms. "Good morning Marinette". Tikki squeaked with a cute smile."Now that you're awake, you can get ready for school."

Marinette's mood brightened as she smiled dreamily. It was always great to know she'll experience of another day of school. Another day of her Friends. But above all, another day with her beloved Adrien. After what seemed like forever, she had some made progress in their soon-to-be relationship. And when it happens, it will feel better than she could have ever imagined. But for now, one day at a time. Hopefully she could successfully manage a sentence around him properly.

Marinette skipped downstairs and saw her parents sitting on the couch and watching the News. "Good morning, Mom and Dad!", Marinette exclaimed cheerfully. Sabine turned around to greet Marinette with a warm smile, but her face showed signs of concern. It was unsettling. Marinette peeked over Sabine and Tom's shoulder, only to see them watching the News, with Nadja Chamack speaking into a microphone as usual, with the same concerned look. On the screen, the recently built jewelry store had been robbed, with police tape covering the outside of the crime scene. But that wasn't what disturbed her. It was a little hard to see, but she saw officers and doctors carrying long bags. Bodybags. The fact that she let this happen worried her. What if Paris was in serious danger? Would her and Cat Noir have to work even harder to save the lives of their citizens? It truly scared her.

Tom and Sabine looked back to their daughter and hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Marinette", Sabine said softly. "Ladybug and Cat Noir were surely defeat this villain, just like all the other times.", Tom added. Marinette sighed into her Parent's arms. She felt a little better. Or at least, for now. "Anyway, I love you guys.", Marinette quickly responded with a smile. "I'll see you after school." Marinette kissed both of their cheeks, before retrieving her Bag and leaving for school. Since she lived so close to her school, she made it there in a matter of seconds, jogging at a steady pace. Knowing her luck, she was probably late. Once Marinette entered, she ran to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. Luckily, no one seemed to be in there. Tikki flew out of Marinette's bag.

"Tikki", Marinette whispered, "You heard the news; there's a new villain around. Tikki nodded, but responded with "But what are you going to do to stop this new villain?" Marinette's expression sterned. "We need to find him. I'll organize a stakeout with Cat Noir tonight. We'll have better chances then." Tikki nodded once more and flew into Marinette's bag as Marinette left the bathroom and went to Miss. Bustier's classroom. Once she entered, students were busy chatting. Her friend Alya was speaking with her official boyfriend, Nino, until she noticed Marinette was in the room. She made a "come and sit down" hand motion. Before Marinette could speak, Alya started talking. "Girl, you aren't going to believe this!", Alya exclaimed.

Alya was always the excited type, especially when it came to her Ladyblog and the antics of Ladybug and Cat Noir. She held up an article on the Jewelry store Murder, only with a blurred photo of a figure leaping towards a nearby building. It honestly looked suspicious, but Alya continued talking. "People have been theorizing that this could be a new hero! Maybe Ladybug and Cat Noir can try to recruit him!" Marinette shook her head. "Obviously if this "new hero" murders people, Ladybug and Cat Noir would want to bring him to justice.", Marinette responded. Alya shrugged. "Either way, girl. It will definitely be worth putting on my blog!", Alya giddily exclaimed. Suddenly, Adrien popped his head over their shoulders. "Hey Marinette and Alya!", he said with friendliness.

Catching Marinette off-guard, she practically leaped out of her seat and yelped loudly. Adrien had a confused face, but Marinette realized she had messed up and responded before things got too awkward. "OH, hey A-Adrien! We were just chatting about nast light! NO, I mean- last flight! NO, I mean last night!", Marinette desperately stammered, before blushing and collapsing into her chair. Alya stepped in before Marinette could embarrass herself further. "Uh, she said it's great to see you, and we were just chatting about who caused last night's incident.", Alya corrected. Marinette flashed a thumbs up signal while burying her face in her arms. Adrien regained his smile. "Um, well okay then. I'm sure Ladybug and Cat Noir will take care of it. We'll talk more after class. Adrien sat down next to his friend Nino, who had been observing the situation from a distance. Alya leaned into Marinette's ear and whispered "Someday, you're really going to freak him out". Marinette simply groaned from embarrassment as Alya chuckled at Marinette's screw up.

After school, Marinette dashed out and and ran upstairs, letting out a "Hi Mom" and "Hi Dad", so her parents wouldn't stop to ask why if she was in such a hurry, or in a negative mood. Either way, she needed a plan to catch this murderer. Tikki popped her small head out of the bag she was in. "So, Marinette. How will we find this person?", Tikki asked with curiosity. Marinette thought about this for a second. There wasn't a guaranteed robbery tonight, since she had learned about crime in her classes a while ago. And besides, no one would be within a 1 mile radius of a disturbing crime scene. She needed to bait this person, to trick him into a fake robbery. Marinette quickly stood up. "I've got it!", she exclaimed. "Here's my plan. So, me and Cat Noir can get Alya to attract the person's attention at another possible robbery location, after telling the Police it's all part of a plan of course. Once we have eyes on the target, Cat Noir cam ambush him, and together, we can defeat him for good!" Tikki giggled with joy. This was practically foolproof. Marinette leaned onto her bed in confidence. "Now, we wait for Night time."

Hours later, Sabine and Tom had already kissed Marinette good night. As soon as her door was closed and her light was turned off, she leapt out of the covers and opened the door to her...roof...deck...thing. (Sorry, I actually have no clue what that truly is.) Tikki and Marinette nodded at each other with confident grins. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!", Marinette yelled as she practically engulfed by her transformation. Once she was Ladybug, she hurled her Yo-Yo at a building and swung off into the night.

About a few minutes later, Cat Noir swooped down onto the building that Ladybug was perched on. Cat Noir had the typical sly smile on his face. He was overconfident, but pretty fun to work with. "So M'lady", Cat Noir purred. "I got your little distress call. Now, let's stop this villain." Ladybug nodded. "I have that girl Alya at the new clothing shop.", Ladybug confirmed. "And I already told Officer Roger and his men about our baiting plan", Cat Noir added. "So I think we are ready to go, M'lady." Cat Noir then leapt off the room to get ready for an ambush, with Ladybug going in a separate direction to contact Alya. If Cat needed help, he'd call her for help. They were going to have to save their city...again.

Meanwhile on a building, just above the Clothing Shop…

The figure's ears twitched as he heard the blaring alarms of the store. This was odd. A robbery right after Bandits have already been...taken care of at another store? What was even stranger was when he spotted a year old girl dashing out, seemingly calling someone on her phone. Now, THIS was weird.

Ladybug was hiding behind the side of a nearby apartment, contacting Alya through her Yo-Yo phone feature. Alya's voice came through it. "Okay, Ladybug. I set off the alarms, is anyone watching me?", Alya asked. From Ladybug's angle, she couldn't see anything. Luckily, Cat Noir would handle any attackers. "Yeah, I think you'll be okay. Now head home. You've really helped us.", Ladybug responded. Alya hung up and made a beeline for her apartment. Just wait until she wrote about this on her Ladyblog!

The figure was truly stumped. This girl had no equipment, or anything stolen on her. But then again, there's no harm in a little hardcore interrogation. The figure reached for it's Katana, only for Cat Noir to block his hand with an extended staff. The figure looked back at Cat Noir, who smirked smugly. "It's not polite to spy on people.", Cat Noir quipped. Wow, that was annoying. The figure struck the staff hard, flipping it over him. Cat Noir barely managed to catch it on the first try. The figure walked closer, and Cat Noir got a good look at him.

It was a male, about Cat Noir's height. From what Cat could make out, it looked around his age too. He wore a white hood with black stripes, which were also on the Cat ears that stood atop it. His face was mostly hidden, but he could make out some facial features, as well as his menacing yellow eyes, with creepy thin slits as pupils. Below the neck, the stripe pattern was at its best, connecting onto his chest and along his arms, shoulders, and hands, which showed razor sharp claws. A bit of cloth was wrapped around his left wrist. The pattern continued along legs, until it ended on the person's feet. He brandished a weapon; the katana Cat Nor saw earlier, and he even had a movable, real looking tail on his back side. Cat Noir tensed up as the person got closer. He finally broke the silence.

"What do you want?", he growled in a deep voice. Cat Noir cleared his throat. "Look, buddy. You murdered those Bandits last night, and us superheroes don't exactly take to kindly to that kind of stuff.", Cat Noir explained. "So, do you want to do this the easy way, or the hard way?" The figure's eyes narrowed. "Listen, kid", he snarled. Cat was offended. He was like, Fifteen. "I'm not here to fight you. We're not supposed to be enemies.", the figure said in a calmer voice. That's when Cat prepared his staff for battle. "Anybody who takes a life is an enemy to me!", Cat exclaimed sternly.

The figure whips out his Katana and gets into an offensive battle position and dashes forward, faster than Cat was ready for, and knees Cat Noir hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The figure then launches two hard punches across Cat Noir's face. Before Cat Noir could respond or even gasp for air, the figure grabs his arm and flips him, before spinning him around by the arm and throwing him father across the building roof. Cat Noir skidded along before falling off. Cat Noir catches the side of the building, before taking out his staff and clicking the phone feature. "LADYBUG! I could use some assistance!" he yelled. "Don't worry. I'm on my way.", Ladybug responded. Cat flips upwards from the wall, leaping above the figure, with his staff held above his head. As the slams the staff down, the figure blocks horizontally with his Katana, before twisting the sword over, throwing Cat Noir off-balance. The figure than does a jump spin hook kick, which connects with Cat's face, knocking him to the ground. As Cat manages to crawl, catching his breath,

The figure walks above him. "Alright, you had your fun. Now can we talk like civilized individuals?", the figure asks. Cat grits his teeth. "Not a chance.", Cat snaps. He extends the staff, smacking the figure in the head, stunning him. Cat leaps to his feet and swings his staff to the figure's feet, flipping him onto his back. As he goes in for a stomp, the figure rolls backwards and retaliates by slashing at Cat Noir with his katana. Cat blocks with his staff, as they connect blocks and attempted strikes, neither getting a good hit in. Finally, Cat Noir kicks the figure across the face and sweeps the figure's leg, before flipping him in mid-air onto the ground. Cat Noir places his foot onto the figure's thoat. "Surrender!", Cat Noir yells. The figure instead glares in response, before sticking his clawed hand into Cat Noir's ankle and dragging it across his flesh, causing him to yelp in pain. The figure springs up and grabs Cat Noir, lifts him up, and slams him into the ground. The figure kneels over him and presses the Katana to his throat, "You brought this on yourself", the figure says coldly.

Suddenly, his hand is jerked backwards. The source that caught his hand yanks harder, bringing him to the ground. It was a red Yo-Yo with black spots. Ladybug stands a few feet away, tugging as hard as she can. "STOP!", she screams. The figure tries to tug free, but the Yo-Yo is too strong, so he plops down casually. "Fine", he grumbles. "Why are you and your friend stalking me?", the figure demands. Ladybug's expression grew more serious. "Because you take lives! You are an evil man!", Ladybug yells again. The figure tilts his head in confusion. "Evil?", he repeats. "You really don't know, do you?" Ladybug shows signs of confusion herself. As Cat Noir gets up and trudges to Ladybug, the figure stands up too. "My name is Tigre Blanc. And I'm not who you think I am.", he says mysteriously. He then tears the cloth on his wrist clean off, revealing a watch, with a glowing Tiger symbol in the middle with the classic stripe design he wears surrounding it. Ladybug and Cat Noir's eyes grew wider than ever.

It was a Miraculous


	2. Chapter 2: Wakeup Call

**A/N: Well, well, well. We're here at the second chapter. Honestly, I didn't think I'd make it this far. Anyway, this chapter's gonna move deeper into the plot, since the first chapter was basically Introduction. So...here's the chapter I guess.**

Ladybug couldn't believe her eyes. A miraculous? I mean, it seemed rather obvious with the white tiger outfit and abnormal weapon. But how could this have happened? Why would Master Fu give a Miraculous to such an...irresponsible owner? She wanted to know exactly that. "Nope, that's impossible.", Ladybug concluded with confidence. "Master Fu would have never given a Miraculous to someone like you."

Tigre Blanc shifted his expression, showing signs of confusion. "Who the hell is Master Fu?", he asked. "I didn't get this trinket from a guy with that name." Cat Noir managed to stand up after the fight. "What are you talking about?", Cat Noir angrily demanded. "Master Fu is the only guardian in Paris". Tigre Blanc's arms flopped down in confusion. What the hell is a guardian?", he asked again, raising his voice. Ladybug tried to intervene, but Cat Noir chimed in again. "Guardians are keepers of the Miracle Box!", Cat Noir replied, as if Tigre Blanc was an idiot. "It carries miraculouses for heroes to defeat Hawk Moth!"

"WHAT?!", Tigre Blanc snapped, before regaining his calm state. "Look, I've heard of you guys, and I admire what you do.", he started. "But I didn't ask to be a Hero, and I certainly didn't ask for whatever Drama you two are tangled up in!", he hissed angrily. Before Cat Noir could fire back, Ladybug quickly pressed a finger to Chat's lips, silencing him. Ladybug glared at Tigre Blanc in annoyance.

"If you didn't _ask _to be a hero, why are you suddenly a Hero?", Ladybug demanded. Tigre Blanc sighed in annoyance. "Okay, I sort-of asked to be a hero, but I didn't ask for the consequences that came with it.", he responded.

"Consequences?! What, like having to save the city?! The stress of the job?! Or is facing "baddies" to hard for you?" Ladybug rebuked. Tigre Blanc pinched the bridge of his nose, with his eyes closed shut with anger. "Okay, possibly a stupid question, but I need to know for sure.", he began. Ladybug folded her arms, waiting to here what he was about to say. "...Can you...uh...turn back to yourselves?", he asked. Ladybug blinked in confusion. She had to have heard him wrong.

"Of course I can turn back. Heroes with Miraculouses like me and Cat Noir can de-transform back into our civilian selves after crime fighting", Ladybug responded matter-of-factly. "Oh really?", Tigre Blanc snapped. "Then why doesn't MINE come off?", he finally blurted out. Cat Noir stepped into the conversation once more. "What do you mean?", Cat Noir asked. "ALL superheroes can de-transform. Why can't you?" Tigre Blanc sighed, not an angry sigh, but a more gloomy sigh.

"The man who sold it to me told me exactly how to work it. What to say, what to do, and how it works. I tried it out, and when I returned home, I did what he told me to do. And it didn't work. The suit didn't come off.", he finally revealed. Ladybug shook her head in disbelief. "Okay, who sold you the Miraculous? Who is this person? _Where _is this person?", Ladybug asked, egging him on. Tigre Blanc held his hands in front of him defensively. "No no no, Spots. We're done here. The Police will be here soon, and I can't risk being seen." Ladybug tugged at her Yo-Yo, which was still wrapped around his wrist. Cat Noir prepared his staff. "Sorry, but we can't let you leave just yet.", Cat Noir said, threatening him.

Tigre Blanc resisted the grip for a moment, before yanking as hard as he could on the Yo-Yo, which sent Ladybug flying in his direction. He connected this with a Clothesline, knocking Ladybug over. He examined the Yo-Yo, before untying it from his wrist. From the corner of his eye, Cat Noir dashed full speed at him. Tigre Blanc rolled out of the way in time and scooped up his Katana, just as Ladybug got up. He made a beeline for a closeby building, before leaping across it with ease. Ladybug and Cat Noir were hot on his trail, and kept sight on their opponent.

Ladybug leaped high into the air and flung her Yo-Yo at Tigre Blanc, who barely managed to dodge it. But he looked away for too long, and was met with a staff to the face. He was knocked off balance, so Ladybug sprung into action. Tigre Blanc and Ladybug exchanged in close combat, which ended after Ladybug leapt over Tigre and used his back as a springboard. He was quicker this time, so he grabbed Ladybug's ankles while she was in mid air. She hit the roof hard. Yet she lifted her upper-body up from the ground with ease. "Now!", she shouted.

Tigre Blanc turned around, but was met with a flying kick to the face, courtesy of Cat Noir. He slipped off of the roof and latched on, only to swing through the window of the building. Cat Noir examined Tigre Blanc's location, just as Ladybug started to get up. Cat Noir turned around to face Ladybug, who put a finger to her lips. They slowly inched to the other side of the building, so they would be ready for an ambush.

They weren't ready. As soon as they were close enough, Tigre Blanc bursted through the window and flipped upwards from the top of the window, before kicking Ladybug with both feet, knocking her to the other side of the roof. He then simply throws Cat Noir to Ladybug's location. He reaches for his Katana, only to realize it wasn't there. He looked up, and saw Cat Noir holding it smugly. Ladybug and Cat Noir nodded to each other, before Cat Noir threw the Katana into the air and smacked it with his staff like a baseball bat. Tigre Blanc barely managed to dodge and grab his Katana, but he turned around to face Ladybug and Cat Noir dashing at him, full speed. He was cornered.

They got closer every passing second. He had to think fast, or he would be caught. Just as they were about to grab him, he shuts his eyes and shouts "INSTINCT!". Suddenly, Ladybug and Cat Noir's vision was blinded by a white light. When the light cleared, Tigre Blanc casually stepped around Cat Noir and Ladybug's bodies, which were practically frozen in time. He picks up his Katana and simply walks around Ladybug and Cat Noir. As soon as he was about to exit, he looked back with his glowing, white, pupil-less eyes and snaps his fingers.

As soon as he did this, Ladybug and Cat Noir jolt back into motion. They regain their conscious states at the last second, before shouting as they stumble and fall off the building. Ladybug tries to fling her Yo-Yo, but Cat Noir falls on top of her in mid-air. The Yo-Yo caught on a light post, and they hung on it, tangled up. They were facing each other upside down. Cat Noir smiled awkwardly, as Ladybug shook her head in annoyance.

Cat Noir entered his home through his window, which happened to be conveniently opened. "Claws in", he whispered, before he de-transformed back into Adrien. He limped over to his Bathroom, before returning with Disinfectant and a Cloth. He managed to make it to his bed without falling over. He sat down on the bed and leaned against the wall, before lifting up the pant leg to his right ankle. He cringed at the sight of the ghash that was left on his flesh. Plagg flew out to observate.

"Hm. In all the years I've been around, I have never seen a Miraculous holder go THAT far in a battle.", Plagg confirmed.

"Plagg, is this a legitimate Miraculous holder?"

Plagg shrugged

"Dunno. Master Fu has a Tiger Miraculous and Kwami in the Miracle Box, but he was never like...well...what you just fought.", Plagg stated. Adrien groaned in pain as he dabbed disinfectant on his wound with a cloth. "So...Adrien", Plagg started. "How about some Camembert?", Plagg asked with a grin on his face. Adrien reached for a piece of Camembert of a plate, which was left on his night stand. He smirked and lifted the piece of cheese up, tauntingly waving it in front of Plagg.

"You want THIS Camembert?"

"Yes...yes I do."

"Are you SURE you want it?"

"YES. I really really do!"

"You really, really, REAAALLY want it?"

"YES! YES ADRIEN!"

Adrien smirked at Plagg's reaction. "Then go get it!", he exclaimed as he tossed the cheese to the other side of the room. Plagg chased after it and picked it up from the floor, before gobbling it up. Only then did he frown, realizing what he had done. He facepalms in embarrassment. Adrien sat back and chuckled at Plagg's ridiculousness. Even then, he made a mental note to take down this new miraculous holder: whatever it took.

The morning hit Marinette like a train. Her body still ached from her fight last night, and she hadn't got much sleep. She rubbed her tired eyes and strolled out of bed. Tikki sat along the side of her bed, munching on a Cookie. Tikki could see that Marinette was tired, so she ate the rest of the cookie and flew into Marinette's bag with no protest. It was gonna be hard to get through the school day. Hopefully, no one would be Akumatized.

After Breakfast Marinette ran to school, only to duck behind as Tikki peeked from her bag. "You look exhausted, Marinette", Tikki squeaked. Marinette rubbed her eyes. "It's not just that Tikki. We were pummeled last night, by a simple Miraculous holder. Me and Cat Noir's enemies are getting stronger, so we need to get stronger too if we're going to thrive. What if Hawk Moth was watching? What if he managed to create a villain too powerful for both of us, as well as the other heroes? I can't let that happen", Marinette concluded, sounding stressed.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out. You always do.", Tikki responded. Marinette rubbed her temples and nodded, before entering the school. She entered the classroom and sat down next to Alya, who wasted no time making conversation. "Hey Marinette", she started, but soon frowned. "You don't look so good. Are you okay?", Alya asked. Marinette couldn't exactly say "I'm Ladybug, and I fought a new hero(who happens to be a murderer) and got my ass handed to me, so I'm stressed and tired from the job.", so she just had to lie. "Just...not enough sleep. I'm fine.", Marinette lied with a reassuring smile.

"Okay, then. Anyway, Nora's been boxing again, and she's going to fight her rival today. I just hope she doesn't lose."

Marinette smiled brightly. "Don't worry Alya, Nora's the best fighter I know. She'll be fine. And when she wins, you, me, nino, and Adrien can go congratulate her!", Marinette replied cheerfully. "Speaking of which, where his Adrien?", Alya asked. Nino leaned over Marinette and Alya's shoulders. "Adrien said he hurt himself, so he had to stay home for the day.", Nino said. Marinette's eyes widened.

"Hurt? He's hurt? I hope he's okay.", Marinette starts, before gasping. "B-But what if he's not okay? What if the injury is serious and he has to go to the Hospital?! I can't bear the thought of tha-"

"Okay, Marinette. Calm down. I'm sure he's fine, and he'll be back tomorrow.", Alya reassured. Marinette took a deep breath. "Now, let's stop talking, class is gonna start.", Alya whispered. Miss Bustier stood up with a warm smile, papers in her hand. Good morning, class. Today, we'll be learning about the Mayor's of Paris over the course of history", Miss Bustier said. Chloe raised her hand with a sinister grin on her face. Miss Bustier pointed at Chloe, allowing her to sleep.

"Why would we need to learn about other Mayor's when we already have one _better _than them?", Chloe asked like the stuck-up girl she was. Miss Bustier sighed, but before she could respond, she was interrupted by screams coming from outside of the building. The class quickly looks out the window, and sees a man, around 17 years old, running away in fear(wearing boxing gear) from a dash of yellow and brown. It was Anansi, akumatized once again. The class gasps, and Marinette slips away, unnoticed. She goes into the Restroom. "Time to-", she starts, but here's a flush coming from the stall near her. Tikki retreats into Marinette's bag, as the girl in the Stall walks out.

Marinette puts her hands behind her back with innocent wide eyes, looking "normal". The girl takes her sweet time, slowly walking over to the sink and slowly washing her hands, as Marinette paces around awkwardly. The girl finally walks out, and Tikki immediately flies out. "Okay...that was a little weird. Anyway, time to transform!", Marinette exclaims. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!", she yelled, as she was transformed in a flash of light.

The man in the boxing outfit anxiously ran from the enraged Anansi, who had been re-akumatized. Hawk Moth's voice rang in her ears. "Very good, Anansi.", he bellowed. "Once you get your revenge, Ladybug and Cat Noir will have no choice but to arrive!" Anansi cracked her neck confidently. "Don't worry Hawk Moth, I'll snap this brat like a twig; and do the same to Ladybug AND Cat Noir!", Anansi exclaimed.

She flipped a car over, and found her rival hiding. He had beat her in a Boxing Match earlier that day, so negative emotions were present. Hawk Moth just couldn't resist giving her another chance at becoming Anansi. The man crawled away, before being stopped by a wall. "P-Please Anansi. Have mercy.", the man pleaded. Anansi laughed at her now cowardly rival. Bit of advice buddy, Anansi doesn't _do _mercy!", she yelled. She lifted up her arms to smash the man to smithereens, but an extended Staff blocked her. Cat Noir.

"Jeez, Anansi. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Want to sit down and talk about your feelings?" Cat Noir taunted. Anansi gritted her teeth in anger, and dashed at Cat Noir, rapidly swinging her fists. Cat dodges every punch, before landing a couple of his own. Anansi wasn't fazed, and grabbed Cat Noir and held him above her head. "Oh no.", Cat whispered. Anansi threw Cat Nor into the air, before Ladybug swung by and caught him, before lowering him to the ground safely. Ladybug and Cat Noir got into a battle position. "Surrender, Anansi!", Ladybug shouted.

Anansi put up her fists. "Never! I'm not giving up a rematch to make up for last time! Let's do this!", she shouted. Ladybug and Cat Noir ran at her, with Cat Noir sliding under Anansi's legs, and Ladybug taking the higher angle. Ladybug managed to flip away from Anansi's punches, as well as kicking her in the chin while she was at it. She flung her Yo-Yo at a Streetlight, which she yanked and threw at Anansi, who swatted it out of the way. Ladybug still smirked with confidence, since Cat Noir was going to perform a surprise attack. Suddenly, a civilian peeked from a car and shouted "WOO-HOO! GO CAT NOIR!" Cat turned around. "Oh come on, you again?!", he hissed. Anansi also turned around. Cat kicked at her face, but she gripped his right ankle before it could hit her.

This aggravated his ankle wound, so Cat Noir cried out in pain. He swung is staff and struck Anansi across her face. Ladybug flings her Yo-Yo around a nearby light post, and swings on it, before kicking Anansi across the face(poor Anansi's face). "HOLD STILL!", Anansi screams. She backhands Ladybug, sending her flying. She smashes into a wall, stunned. Cat Noir runs to go help her, but is grabbed by Anansi. "Yes, Anansi. Now, TAKE HIS MIRACULOUS!", Hawk Moth screamed maniacally.

Anansi took it one step further. The last time she was this close to taking a Miraculous, she was tricked, and overpowered. She was going to make sure he didn't get up. It wouldn't kill him, of course. But it would certainly get him out of the way. She lifted Cat Noir up by his neck. He tried to squirm away, but her other arms held him in place. She squeezed is neck, cutting off his air supply. Air was mandatory. He had to do something. He tried to choke out a "Cataclysm", but he couldn't. As air left his lungs for too long, everything went black.

Anansi drops Cat Noir's limp body to the ground. As she reached for his Miraculous, Hawk Moth's boomed in her ears again. "Anansi, did you…", Hawk Moth asked, his voice trailing off. "Relax, Hawk Moth. He's not dead. I just strangled him to the point of unconsciousness.", Anansi replies, as if nothing happened. She wrapped her fingers around the ring, but her Wrist was wrapped tight by a Yo-Yo. "You'll pay for that!", Ladybug yelled. Ladybug leaps into the air and launches continues attacks on Anansi, out of pure fury for Cat Noir's fate. She took every hit(even though they hurt like hell), and grabbed Ladybug, before smashing her to the ground. Ladybug attempted to escape, but Anansi grabbed her again and launched two hard punches on her stomach. She pins her to a wall and launches brutal punches repeatedly.. Over and over and over again, as Ladybug helplessly takes the beating. She was SERIOUSLY off her game today.

By now, citizens have started watching; whether they were near the scene, or watching the news, they were heartbroken to see this. Their beloved Ladybug, saviour of paris, being beaten to a bloody pulp by an old villain. Anansi squeezed out what little mercy she had and threw Ladybug to the ground. She wouldn't stay down for long, but Cat Noir would. She'd retrieve his Miraculous, then finish the job with Ladybug.

Ladybug mustered whatever energy she had left and limped to Anansi. Anansi rolled her eyes and turned around to punch Ladybug. It smashed into her face, and sent her flying. She had taken many hits in her career, but THIS one certainly finished the job. Ladybug leaned her back undera destroyed Car, trying to regain her composure. "Couldn't resist being the Hero.", Anansi grumbled. She picked up a Car and threw it straight at Ladybug. Life flashed before Ladybug's eyes. It was too soon. She had failed Paris. The Car was only a few feet away, in the air, ready to crush her. Until a blur went by, and the Car was cut clean in half. The pieces completely missed their target, barreling away into another direction.

Ladybug could barely make out what happened, since her vision was blurry. But as the figure landed a few feet in front of her, she immediately knew who it was. Tigre Blanc prepared his Katana for battle, and Anansi just watched in confusion, and annoyance. "Hey, wait a minute! I've never seen YOU before!", Anansi yelled. Hawk Moth growled in her ears once more. "A new hero. No matter, you can stop HIM too!", Hawk Moth boomed.

Anansi put up her fists and slowly walked up to Tigre Blanc, who had no emotion but rage in his eyes. She wasted no time with banter, and charged at Tigre Blanc, attempting to land a quick punch. He dashed out of the way, and launched a right hook across her face. She punched again, but he leaped over and kicked her across her face. She loses her temper and charges at him, and he does the same. The slides under her and slashes a cut in her right leg. Before he can land another hit, Anansi side-kicks him, sending him crashing onto a car's windshield. Anansi ran up and pinned him down. She wrapped her fingers around the watch and tugged, but it was stuck. Her eyes widened in confusion.

Anansi lifted her arms up to smash him deeper into the car, but Tigre Blanc slid off the car and grabbed a Sewer Lid. He smashed it across her face, breaking it on impact. He launched four punches on her stomach, before twisting around and kicking her across the jaw. She immeadietly retaliates with an uppercut, before grabbing him in mid-air and throwing him onto the concrete. She leaps into the air once again. He quickly shouts "INSTINCT!", as Anansi's movements drastically slow down. He leaps up and slams her to the ground. Once she's up, he launches a flurry of punches too her stomach and face, before shoulder-ramming her into a brick wall.

He throws his Katana like a javelin, which BARELY missed her head and clips the helmet in half. An Akuma flies out. Tigre Blanc desperately looks at Ladybug, who was still recovering. He leaps up and grabs the Akuma, before examining the strange creature. He would've crushed it, but it didn't seem like the smartest thing to do in a situation like this. Ladybug finally got up, and prepared a glowing white Yo-Yo, ready to de-evilize the Akuma. Instinct had deactivated, so she was able to move at normal speeds; transforming the Akuma into a butterfly within a minute or so.

Once the Akuma had been de-transformed, Tigre Blanc ran over to Cat Noir and picked up his body, before dropping it near Ladybug. He offered a hand to help her up, which she accepted because she could barely stand. She moaned out a "Thank You", before collapsing. He caught her before she could hit the ground, and looked at Cat Noir's unconscious body. Ignoring the audience from a distance, he lifted both of them over his shoulders, before leaping away.

Marinette woke up with a slight headache, and soreness in her entire body. She lifted her head up, to see Tikki sitting at her bed. Bandages had been applied to Marinette's wounds, as well as an Ice Pack for her head. "Are you okay, Marinette?", Tikki squeaked softly. Marinette rubbed her head. "Yeah, I think so.", she groaned. She noticed a slip of paper lying next to her. She unfolded it and it read:

_You're welcome, Spots._

_And don't worry, Cat Noir's fine, and I anonymously tipped your Parents and School that you were wounded while trying to escape, so no suspicions are needed. Although they were surprised when they came to check on you, while you were stitched up._

_Anyway, meet me at the Eiffel Tower at sundown tonight(As Ladybug). We have some things we need to discuss._

_-Tigre Blanc_

Marinette looked up at Tikki, who simply shrugged in response. None had any idea of what to expect.

**A/N: Hot damn, that chapter was long. Anyway, next chapter will dwell deeper into Tigre Blanc's character, as well as the story. A new villain to deal with will also be brought into the spotlight. Tell me what you think so far, and always comment down suggestions or requests. Until the next chapter...**


	3. Chapter 3: Tigre Blanc

**A/N: Hoo, boy. Here we are. The 3rd chapter. I consider this a massive achievement. I'd also like to thank the users that enjoyed the story so far, and the positive reviews I've been getting. I really appreciate it. Reviews are my fuel that keeps this story train going.**

**Choo Choo.**

The cool night breeze was peaceful. It glistened on Ladybug's skin, which made her shiver. She had a pit of anxiousness deep in her stomach. Besides the note, there was also the fact that this "Tigre Blanc" had brought her to her own home, and knew her and Cat Noir's identities. It worried her. This new hero could be a threat, so she had to keep her guard up. Cat Noir slipped up behind her.

"Glad you came.", Ladybug said casually. Cat Noir shrugged modestly. "Anything for you, milady. Besides, I'm not liking this guy so far. And thanks for inviting me.", he replied. Ladybug turns to face him.

"_Just remember to stay close by, and keep your distance; in case there's critical intel, or if he attacks me.",_ Ladybug whispers; since they were dangerously close to the Eiffel Tower, and they didn't know if this guy had Super-Hearing or not.

Cat Noir nods in response and extends his stick, boosting him upwards as he clung to a higher level of the tower, slipping into the shadows. Ladybug threw her Yo-Yo, which clung to the interior of the Eiffel Tower, and she swung inside gracefully. As beautiful as the Eiffel Tower was, it was creepy when it was pitch black and a murderer was was waiting for her. She wandered around a little, not noticing the figure dropping behind her.

The figure cleared it's throat, which made Ladybug jump and brandish her Yo-Yo. While she turned around to face the figure, Tigre Blanc stepped out of the darkness. "Nice to see you, too.", he quipped. Ladybug put down her Yo-Yo, as he stepped further into her line of sight. He removed his hood, revealing a boy about her age, with messy dark brown hair. He might've looked handsome before all this, if it weren't for the fact that he looked beaten down. As if you could tell he was in several grueling fights, with visible bruises and bags under his eyes.

He held a paper cup of coffee, which he sipped before speaking up. "You may be wondering why I asked you to come here, Spots.", he said, as if they were old friends having lunch. Ladybug folded her arms. "Well, after you snuck into my own home, I couldn't resist meeting up.", she replied sternly. He tossed the empty cup aside.

"Yeah, sorry I didn't leave you to die. I figured the city could benefit from your survival. I've watched you and the Cat for a while, as well as witnessing you guys exit your houses, so I kind of knew where you lived.", he stated. "Anyway, I think we should make a deal."

Ladybug's eyes widened in disbelief. "A deal?", she asked. "What kind of a deal?" Tigre Blanc casually retracted claws from his gloved hands and scraped the metal on the tower. "I reckon we should work together. To catch a _real_ threat. Somebody who wronged me.", he started. "AKA, the man who gave me this Miraculous." Ladybug folded her arms. "Go on", Ladybug says, glancing to the concealed Cat Noir.

"He said his name was Abel. It was a suspicious name, but I figured strange people could give out strange objects like these.", he explained, holding up his wrist with the watch. "Abel promised me that the Miraculous was legit, and it would help me become a hero, like you and Cat Noir."

"What was wrong with it?"

"It wasn't legit.", he responded. "I lived on a different side of Paris, where we weren't lucky enough to have a Ladybug and Cat Noir to clean up our crime-ridden streets. We had only ever _heard _of you guys, but we had no knowledge on what your experiences were like. Now that there's a…"Ladyblog" here, info was spread from that Alya girl. My Miraculous didn't fit the description."

Ladybug stroked her chin, pondering what could have happened. "Did you have a Kwami?", she finally asked. Tigre Blanc leaned up against the railing of the Tower. "Nope. Abel simply handed me the trinket for a small fee. All I did was transform, tend to a mugging, and not be able to turn back to who I really was.", he said, with a twinge of gloom in his voice.

"Fair enough. But why do you murder people?", Ladybug demanded. Tigre Blanc's eyes narrowed. "It's the only way the bad stays down. Spare them, and they come back stronger.", he growls. Ladybug thinks about his words, remembering how Anansi was able to beat her and he partner with ease. "But how did you know to break the helmet to release the Akuma?", Ladybug asked curiously. Tigre Blanc stood up and inched closer. "I didn't.", he responded. "I was aiming for the head."

Suddenly, Cat Noir sprung from the darkness, letting out a battle cry. "Cat Noir, wait!", she yells. It was too late. Cat Noir was dashing at Tigre Blanc like he was a TV on Black Friday, and nothing was going to stop him. After a short glare, Tigre Blanc holds out the tip of his Katana, pointing at Cat Noir. His eyes widened and he quickly stopped himself, an inch away from the point. Tigre Blanc backs away and huffs in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose with shut eyes.

"Why did you bring your partner?", he hissed. Ladybug and Cat Noir exchange glances. "Sorry…I guess? But we're partners, and we _just _met you.", Ladybug responded with honesty. "And besides, with a costume like that you look kinda shady.", Cat Noir chimed in, smirking at his own joke. Tigre Blanc snapped his head backwards. "Shut up or I'll gut you.", he hisses.

Cat Noir scoffs in annoyance and turns his back on him. Ladybug puts her hands up in defense. "No need to fight. Let's just try not to start any more fights.", Ladybug exclaims. "_Yeah, no need to watch my staff bludgeon this guys skull.", _Cat Noir mutters.

Tigre Blanc snaps his fingers, remembering why they were here. "Ah, yes. The deal. I'll lay off the murdering and theft, as well as working with you guys every once in a while; maybe even helping you out with certain personal tasks. But in return, you guys are going to help me catch Abel, so I can kill that son of a bitch once and for all. All I want is vengeance." Ladybug looks at Cat Noir, who shrugged in response. "Fine, deal.", Ladybug concludes.

Tigre Blanc outstretches his hand, and Ladybug hesitantly shakes it. Once the deal was official, Tigre Blanc walks away to exit, before stopping and turning his head over his shoulder. "And don't even _think _of turning me in to the authorities. I know who you both are. And if you betray me, I'll make you pay.", he says bitterly. He leaps off the tower, disappearing from their line of sight. Cat Noir steps in front of Ladybug.

"Milady, I don't think this is such a good idea. This guy is dangerous. I mean, he kills people!", he says. Ladybug places a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, kitty.", she says sweetly. "Tigre only needs us for this occasion. Once we catch this "Abel", we'll work everything out just fine." Cat Noir's expression shifts into a reassuring smile. Ladybug flings her Yo-Yo onto a nearby building. "See you later, Cat Noir.", she says, as she shoots through the sky, swinging like an acrobat. Cat Noir sits down for a minute to think. What did they get themselves into?

Ladybug swings through the trap door above her home, landing gracefully and whispering "_Spots Off", _before immediately changing back. She plopped down on her bed, before leaning back to go to sleep. It was at that moment that Tikki flew out of her bag. "Marinette, what did you just do?", Tikki asked with a worried voice. Marinette sat up.

"What do you mean, Tikki?"

"Marinette...you agreed to work with a _murderer_!"

Marinette tries to answer, but her eyes widen when she realizes that Tikki is right. Tigre Blanc has probably killed several people, and he's illegal. Something like this would probably demolish the Ladybug and Cat Noir public image. People would lose hope, and that would mean more negative emotion. And now they had to deal with "Abel", so she now had THREE problems to deal with.

"Oh, god Tikki. I screwed up!", Marinette cried, as she flopped down on her bed and groaned in regret. Tikki floats up to face Marinette. "Could you...hide from him?" Marinette frowns. "He'd find me. He knows where I live. The best thing I can do is go along with the deal.", she responds. Tikki sighs and lies down next to Marinette. Marinette was so screwed.

She had woken up earlier than she wanted, 7:00 to be exact. The sun was barely climbing up the sky. Marinette didn't know why, but she felt the urge to climb out and get some air. Tikki was asleep, and it would be rather rude to awake her, so Marinette stuck quietly through her trap door to her roof. The raven haired girl breathed deeply, taking in the fresh early morning air. A smile curled up at the corners of her mouth. That was better. A voice came from behind her.

"Good morning, Spots."

Marinette yelped as she quickly turned around. Her face shifted into an annoyed expression. "You need to stop doing that.", she scolds. Tigre Blanc puts up his hands defensively. "Just figured I'd check on you. Y'know, since we're technically partners ", he reminded. Marinette sighs tiredly. Tigre Blanc sits along her railing. "About Abel…", he starts.

"What about him?"

"After your little school session, I suggest we go look for him.", he responds. Finally, a reasonable request. "Yeah, I can meet with you. I'll bring Cat Noir and we can bring Abel to justice.", she responds with confidence. Tigre Blanc lets out a low chuckle. "You think this is going to be easy?", he asks, as if he were speaking to a young child.

Marinette tries to respond, but can't think if a thing to say. "I...like your optimism. But from what I've seen, Abel looks dangerous. If he could have Miraculouses on his hands, who knows what else he has up his sleeve?", Tigre Blanc says.

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

"If you say so. And I'll be out of your hair once Abel is kebabed on the blade of my Katana. I'll disappear. Right off the map.", he concludes.

"Sounds good enough for me."

Tigre Blanc nods before standing up. "Now go enjoy your last hour or two of sleep.", he says before leaping off her roof. Marinette slipped back into her room and curled up under her covers. Interesting. She just had an encounter with Tigre Blanc and she actually felt calm after. All she had to do was survive a partnership with him. Couldn't be that hard, right?

…

At school the next day, Marinette was back on track with concentration, ready to have a proper day since homeroom. But she was dreading the end of the school day. Tigre Blanc still wasn't 100% trustworthy, maybe he'll lure her out on a quest just to execute her, or capture her. No, Cat Noir would be there to help. He always was. Luckily, she could always rely on Alya to help get her mind off things.

Alya came in quickly, holding her phone and brandishing an excited smile. She looked like she would explode at any second. "Girl, you won't _believe _what happened yesterday!", she exclaims. "Oh, really? What could have happened?", Marinette half-lied(for identity purposes). Alya holds up her phone and clicks the Play button. A shaky amateur filmer shows a recorded clip of the battle with Anansi. Once Tigre Blanc shows up, Alya pauses the video and zooms in on him.

"Girl, this means there's a new hero! This is soooooo cool!", Alya squeals. Marinette smiled and nodded in response, remembering the photo taken at the crime scene days ago. Hopefully, no one would realize the similarities of the figure in the photo and video. Marinette had a lot to worry about. She didn't know for sure, but this much stress couldn't be healthy for a teenage girl. It would be a long day.

**Meanwhile at the Agreste Mansion…**

Gabriel Agreste seemed less grumpy than usual. More curious than grumpy. He may have failed to get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous, but his new villain was strong enough to almost defeat the two heroes. Nathalie walked up to Gabriel and stood next to him. "Nathalie, something very strange happened earlier.", he says.

Nathalie straightens her glasses and meets his eyes. "Strange? What happened?", she asks in her blase voice. Gabriel looks back at the painting of Emile...his beloved Emile. "One of my Akumatized villains almost won. It was Anansi, to be exact.", he replies. Nathalie tilts her head in confusion. "Isn't that a near success, Gabriel?", Nathalie asks.

Gabriel turns around. "It's strange, Nathalie. None of my Akumatized victims have every shown feats of intelligence and strength like that. It was almost like...they had an advantage. **I **had an advantage. Someone is assisting me, Nathalie.", Gabriel concludes.

Nathalie nods and leaves to let Gabriel think. He moves his fingers to the correct spots on the painting, before pressing them with two fingers in each hand. He is then lowered like a mini-elevator into his butterfly room. AKA, Hawk Moth's lair. Nooroopops up, not saying a word to his master.

"Nooroo, **Dark Wings RISE!", **Gabriel exclaims as his kwami is sucked into his tie. He is then transformed into Hawk Moth. He doesn't bother to open his window yet, still thinking the situation through. He grabs a butterfly and prepares to transform it.

But in the corner of his eye, he faintly saw a red substance floating into the tip of his staff. He turned back quickly, and the hand releasing the substance recoiled into the darkness. A pair of animalistic eyes were eerily visible. Hawk Moth cautiously reached for his sword and brandished it.

Suddenly, hundreds of mangled arms and hands emerged from the dark and latched onto Hawk Moth. These rotten limbs were all over his body, pinning him up against a wall, some simply clawing at his flesh. He couldn't make out the source of the hands; they were practically lost in darkness. He was defenceless, since he had lost grip of his sword once it fell to the ground.

A red cloaked figure also emerges from the shadows, hunched over slightly and arms behind his back. "What's going on?!", Hawk Moth demanded. The hands stayed still, yet were still keeping Hawk Moth against the wall.

_"Hello, Hawk Moth.", _the figure rasps. He lifts his face up to meet his. Hawk Moth's eyes widened as he saw the face of this being. He _looked_ around seventy years old, but had abnormal razor sharp teeth. He also had a large red hat covering his head. But what scared Gabriel the most was the beings demonic Blood red eyes. It was like pure evil was staring into his soul. The being opens its mouth to speak again.

_"I've been expecting you."_

**A/N: Yup, another chapter done. Sorry if this one was a bit shorter than the others, I'll try to make the next one more lengthy. So, yeah. Abel has just been teased as the new villain, so he'll be **_**Abel **_**to move the story along. Ha Ha. Puns.**

**Until the next chapter...**


	4. Chapter 4: Tasks and Deals

**A/N: Oh, hello. Didn't see you there. Okay, I did. Once again, I'd like to thank all the wonderful people reading my story and posting such encouraging reviews. It really helps. Anyway, here's chapter 4…**

Hawk Moth struggled against the grip. The hands felt like they were made of steel; he couldn't escape the restraints. And now he had this...thing in front of him. _Expecting _him? What could he have meant? And who was this man? He wanted to know exactly that. "Who are you?", Hawk Moth boomed. The being smirks.

"My name is Abel.", the being rasps. "And I've come to make a deal with you." Hawk Moth's eyes narrowed, with him still struggling against the grip of the arms. "A deal? What do you want from me?", Hawk Moth demands, egging him on. Abel releases Hawk Moth, but grabs his sword and tossing it to the side, eliminating Hawk Moth's chance of fighting back. "We can assist each other. I _have _been powering you recently, after all.", Abel says.

Now Hawk Moth was interested. "Powering?", he asks. "Is that why Anansi almost succeeded?" Abel nods and holds up a vial of red dust. "This is what I've been using. This dust can power Miraculouses, to the point where the wielder can destroy opponents in a matter of minutes. The larger the dose, the more power given. Plus, this dust makes Akumatized victims smarter, stronger, and more aggressively insane than any others before.", Abel explains. Hawk Moth was barely able to scratch his chin in interest. Abel waved a hand and released the arms from Hawk Moth's grasp. The arms were sucked into another vial, crumpling inside with ease.

Hawk Moth's eyes widen. "How are you doing this?", he asks. Abel pulls his cloak open, revealing inner pockets with several vials and containers, each containing sinister-looking contents. "I'm a collector.", Abel states with pride. "These artifacts were found all over the globe, and I've only found the most interesting contents in Paris. For instance, _Miraculouses."_

"Have you found other ways to use Miraculouses?"

"Oh, yes. For one thing, they're very easy to create."

"Create?"

"Indeed.", Abel says. "I've been able to create forged Miraculouses as if I were knitting cheap scarves. They come in many variations of obscure animals, not commonly found it the Chinese Zodiac. Wolfs, Falcons, Blue birds, and White Tigers. It's all stored officially in my warehouse." Hawk Moth regains a stern face. "Impressive, but what kind of a deal do you want to make?", he asks.

Abel smirks. "I can help power your Miraculous and the villains you create, while you let me stay here and work with you at some times, as well as getting a "Hero" off my back.", he concludes. Hawk Moth begins to question this information, but Abel holds up his hand. "I'll explain everything later. But for now, let's work together. That way, we can both get what we want.", Abel says. Hawk Moth thinks for a minute, then smiles. "Where do we begin?", he asks.

…

Marinette had finally blocked Tigre Blanc from her mind, temporarily. She had caught up with Alya, Nino, and..._Adrien_, and felt free once again. Ever since Tigre Blanc showed up, life had felt...off. Hopefully, they'd take care of Abel tonight and be done with it. Gosh, this incident was all she could think about.

Marinette was in Science, with their Teacher Ms. Mendeleiev being the typical strict woman that she was. Marinette glanced to Nathaniel, who happened to be doodling. Oh, this can't end well. Ms. Mendeleiev craned her neck to glance at the redhead, and her eyes narrowed. "NATHANIEL.", she barked. "What do you think you're doing?" Nathaniel realized how much he screwed up, so he tried to put away the drawings.

Ms. Mendeleiev motioned Nathaniel to come up to her desk, with his drawings. "I'm sorry, Ms. Mendeleiev, I-", Nathaniel started. Ms. Mendeleiev snatched the doodles from him and tore them up in front of him. The rest of the class was shocked(except for Chloe, who was smirking). Nathaniel was also shocked, "GO TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!" she screamed. Nathaniel frowned and shamefully left the room. That was a pretty stupid incident, and god knows he'll probably be Akumatized.

If only she could get _one _simple day.

…

Hawk Moth's view window opened, before he glanced at Abel. "This one has potential. He was the Evillustrator, who has the power to create objects just by drawing them.", Hawk Moth explains. Abel grins wickedly. "This one's a keeper.", he rasps. Abel takes out his vial and empties out some of the red dust. He controls it to flow into Hawk Moth's cane, before entering it with ease.

Hawk Moth reaches for a butterfly and grabs it, before enclosing it between his hands and transforming it into an Akuma. Abel is astonished by the transformation, as Hawk Moth releases it. "Fly away, my little Akuma. And re-akumatize him!", Hawk Moth booms.

…

Nathaniel is sitting on a staircase, with his face buried in his hands. The akuma flies gracefully into his pen, creating contact between him and Hawk Moth. Nathaniel looks up, practically zombified. "Welcome back, Evillustrator.", Hawk Moth greets. "You're here to get sweet revenge on the one who wronged you, and retrieve Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses."

Nathaniel grins evilly. **"Yes, Hawk Moth."**, he responds. He is then engulfed in dark matter, covering his entire body. The Evillustrator emerges, with some psychotic thoughts of revenge stored in his noggin.

Marinette sweated anxiously as she worried of an Akumation. One thought that crossed her mind was that the villains were getting stronger. To the point where even Ladybug and Cat Noir couldn't save the city. Her thoughts were interrupted rudely by the door to their room being erased. Evillustrator walks in and ignores the frightened students. Ms. Mendeleiev tries to protest, but is silenced by Evillustrator's newest sketch...an enlarged machine gun. "Don't move a muscle.", he growled.

The students also didn't dare to move, and Alya turned to Marinette. "_This doesn't look good_.", Alya whispered. Marinette turned to her friend. "_I'll sneak out and get help_", Marinette whispered back. Before Alya could question this plan, Marinette crouched down and snuck out quickly, avoiding the Evillustrator's line of sight like she was Solid Snake.

Marinette ran downstairs and took refuge in the restroom. Tikki flew out quickly. "Time to transform.", Marinette says. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!" she exclaimed. Once she was transformed, Ladybug prepared her Yo-Yo, before slowly making her way upstairs. She peeked through the window, and Evillustrator managed to turn around. The gun loaded, and Ladybug dove out of the way just in time, avoiding the whizzing bullets destroying the door.

Ladybug scurried to a safer area, while Evillustrator kicked the mangled door off its frame. He faced Ladybug...only she wasn't there. Her trademark Yo-Yo shot through the air and yanked him off the higher level of the school. He hit the ground, as Ladybug retracted her Yo-Yo. "What are you doing, Nathaniel?! You could have killed them!", Ladybug shouts. Evillustrator gets up. "I've had a change of heart. The only way to get rid of my enemies is to **destroy **them!", he responds.

He creates a flurry of spinning blades, each looking incredibly sharp. Ladybug managed to leap above them and hurl her Yo-Yo at Evillustrator's arm. He pulled against the grasp, and couldn't defend himself due to his drawing hand being disabled. "You need to stop, Nathaniel!", Ladybug yelled. Evillustrator yanked the Yo-Yo and sent Ladybug flying. He had freed his hand momentarily, and took advantage of it by sketching a catapult.

Ladybug landed on it, and Evillustrator grinned as he activated it, launching Ladybug into the air. Ladybug shouted as she flew through the air, trying to land safely. She hurled her Yo-Yo, but it went off target. Ladybug swallowed hard as she plummeted to the ground...until Cat Noir whizzed by and caught her. Because why not?

"I always knew you'd fall for me someday", Cat Noir quipped as they landed in the streets. Ladybug escaped his grasp, yet smirking at the cheesiness of his line. "Glad you're here. Evillustrator's back, and he's stronger than ever.", Ladybug informed. Cat Noir scratched his head.

"I saw on the news. Anansi managed to beat both of us, and she seemed stronger than the last time. I don't feel like this is a coincidence either.". Cat Noir says.

"We'll worry about that later. For now, let's take care of Evillustrator."

Tigre Blanc dropped from the air and landed hard on the ground, before standing up and unsheathing his Katana. "I couldn't agree more.", he growls as Nathaniel flies through the air and to the ground, wearing a jetpack. "You can't run from me!", Evillustrator says. He then stares at Tigre Blanc.

Hawk Moth regains contact with Evillustrator. "Nevermind him. Focus on Ladybug and Cat Noir, then get him out of the way.", Hawk Moth bellows. Nathaniel nods affirmatively and lashes out. He grabs a hold of Cat Noir and flips him to the ground, before quickly creating a large blade above him. Cat Noir's eyes widen as he barely rolls out of the way, avoiding impalement. He uses this opportunity to extend his staff, catching the Evillustrator off-guard and launching him into the air.

The three heroes follow, as the Evillustrator sketches himself a hang glider to prevent a foiled escape. While they were running, Tigre Blanc turned to Ladybug and Cat Noir. "I'm assuming you've fought him before. How did you guys beat him last time?", he asks.

"Well, we used the dark to prevent his drawing, since he can't draw in the dark.", Cat Noir explains.

"Dark? It's the middle of the day. How would we beat him now?"

Ladybug pondered for a moment. "Maybe we could blind him.", Ladybug suggested. Cat Noir smiled in admiration. "Yeah, good idea. But how would we do it?", he asked. "Let's let the Lucky Charm decide.", Ladybug concluded confidently. Tigre Blanc had been listening on, and nodded in agreement. Evillustrator finally landed, before stretching several clones on him to attack the trio. They leaped down to face the villain, and Ladybug and Cat Noir dashed forward...and _only _Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Tigre Blanc fell to his knees and clutched his head, fighting against a splitting headache. The two heroes turned around. "Are you okay?", Ladybug asked. They were distracted, so the clones rapidly trampled the two.

…

Hawk Moth squinted in confusion, before turning to face Abel. He was smirking and dancing his fingers along a glowing red amulet. "What are you doing?", Hawk Moth asked. Abel snickered wickedly. "Making things a bit more interesting.", he said.

…

The clones had outnumbered the heroes, yet didn't bother hitting the stunned Tigre Blanc. He groaned in pain, before immediately getting up as his eyes jolted open. His pupils had a thin red trace around them, making him look truly terrifying. He dashed forward with admirable speed, carelessly swiping his Katana, cutting many clones in half.

Evillustrator was met with a punch across the face, before Tigre Blanc smashed his Knee into his stomach and kicked Evillustrator's knee. The crack from that hit concerned the villain. Before he could sketch anything, Tigre Blanc grabbed his hand...and broke it. Ladybug and Cat Noir's eyes widened in shock as Evillustrator cried out in pain. Tigre Blanc wasn't done. He punched the villain in the throat, before grabbing his face and sticking his thumbs into his eyes.

Before Evillustrator could scream, Tigre Blanc tripped him to the ground and crushed the pen under his foot. Despite the disturbing finish, Ladybug focused on the Akuma and eventually de-evilized it. As the white butterfly flew away, the Miraculous Ladybug fixed property damage and fixed the injuries done to Evillustrator, who had also been changed back. Nathaniel ran off, and Ladybug and Cat Noir didn't bother to "Pound it". They simply walked over to Tigre Blanc. Ladybug simply stared in shock, while Cat Noir's face was fixed with rage.

"What was that?!", Cat Noir yelled. Tigre Blanc recoiled at the sudden anger. "I...that...wasn't me.", he stammered. Cat Noir put up his hand to shut him up. "No no no. I knew you were trouble since you murdered those bandits, you freakin' psycho!", Cat snapped. This time Tigre Blanc's eyes narrowed. "I couldn't control it. Maybe if you stopped whining I could've told you!", Tigre Blanc rebuked.

"You could have killed him either way!"

"Oh, and as if HE would've shown mercy!"

"That's _not _how we work!"

"Then you're taking the hard way out!"

Ladybug finally stepped in between the boys and held her arms out. "Both of you, stop!", she yelled. She then turned to Tigre Blanc. "Tigre, what happened back there?", she asked calmly.

"During the fight, I was hit with a splitting headache. Then, I had no control over my actions.", he explains. Cat Noir scoffs. "Whatever. I've gotta go, Ladybug.", he says bitterly, before leaping above the buildings and disappearing. Ladybug sighs. "I'm sorry, he's not usually like this.", she says. Tigre Blanc simply nods and walks away Ladybug then begins to leave.

"Wait, Spots.", he says. Ladybug turns around. "Remember our investigation tonight. I'll show up at your house around 7:00. Hopefully, we can find Abel.", he says casually before immediately leaving. Ladybug banishes the stress from her mind and swings away.

…

"I don't understand.", Hawk Moth says. "Why did you power that hero?", he asks angrily. Abel seemed disinterested, yet looked up. "Corrupted, not powered. I created his Miraculous, so I can control it to my liking.", he explains. Abel pops open another vial, this time of a liquid. He pours a bit of it on his palms, before waving his hands, creating a clear mirror-like object. As Hawk Moth watched curiously, Abel tapped it and it went to the conversation between Ladybug and Tigre Blanc.

_"Remember our investigation tonight. I'll show up at your house around 7:00. Hopefully, we can find Abel."_

Abel scowls and waves his hand once more, causing the object to vanish. He then turns to leave. Hawk Moth stops him. "Where are you going now?", he asks.

"To take care of a few pests.", he replies. Before leaving, Abel looks over his shoulder. "And don't worry, I won't hurt your son...as long as you stay loyal. And if all goes well..._I can bring your wife back._", he says. Hawk Moth's eyes widen. Abel twirls, wrapping his cloak around his body. After a minute or so of this, Abel practically vanishes in thin air.

…

Marinette takes a tray of macaroons out of the Bakery Oven. Her parents smile proudly. "Wow, Marinette. You are truly an A-List baker! Someday, you may be better than your old man!", Tom said proudly. Marinette smiled sweetly. It had been a relaxing afternoon; she loved baking with her parents. If Fashion Designing didn't work out, she could always turn to baking for a career choice. Then, her smile disappeared as she remembered what would happen tonight. She placed the tray down and inched toward the door.

"Okay guys, goodnight!", Marinette said. Her parents exchanged confused glances. "You're going to bed this early? It's only 6:50.", Sabine said. Marinette put on a kind of nervous smile and turned around. "Yeah...but...all this baking made me REALLY tired. So...goodnight!", Marinette said quickly as she rushed upstairs.

She sealed herself in her bedroom and Tikki flew out from under her pillow. "Are you sure you want to do this Marinette?", Tikki asked. Marinette sighed and sat down. "I have to, Tikki. Besides, if me, Tigre, and Cat Noir can find Abel, I'll be done with all this drama.", she concludes, almost hopelessly. A knock comes from her trapdoor roof, and she knew it was Tigre. Marinette stood up. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!", she exclaimed.

…

Ladybug swung through the rainy night sky, with Tigre Blanc leaping beside her, building to building. They hadn't brought Cat Noir, since he obviously wouldn't cooperate near Tigre Blanc, and she kinda needed Tigre for directions. The spotted hero grew more and more anxious as they departed from her side of Paris. She was afraid of the unknown. Tigre Blanc stopped immediately, holding out a finger(not _that _finger), gesturing Ladybug to stop too. She landed beside him on the slick roof, waiting for him to give orders.

Tigre Blanc glanced at a small hole-in-the-wall shelter with great curiosity. "Is that where Abel is?" Ladybug asked hopefully. Tigre Blanc shook his head, still glancing at the small structure. "From what I've seen, Abel hires men to carry shipments of his supplies. I don't know why, or what's in them. Hopefully, we can follow or interrogate one of his workers.", he explains. "For now, we wait."

Ladybug sits down awkwardly. "So...how do we pass the time?", she asks. Tigre Blanc turns to her. "Well, since we're working together, tell me about your life, Spots. Outside of...this.", he says. Ladybug sits down and leans on a chimney. "Okay.", Ladybug starts. "My parents are bakers, and they love their job. They always seemed like the happiest couple. As for school, I'm friends with Alya-",

"The one who created the Ladyblog?"

"Yeah, that Alya. There's also Nino, who happens to be friends with...my crush."

Tigre Blanc sits up, looking interested. "Ladybug has a crush?", he asks. "Who's the lucky boy?" Ladybug blushes at the memory of Adrien. She didn't know exactly how she felt spilling her guts to her new "partner". Oh well. "I'm in love with...Adrien Agreste.", she blurts out.

Tigre Blanc jolts an inch away. "_Adrien Agreste?_", he asks, almost disgusted. "Um...yeah. He's perfect. Smart, handsome…", Ladybug starts.

"He's a rich little goody two-shoes.", he grumbles. Ladybug's eyes narrow at the comment. "Enough about my life, how's yours?", she asks. Tigre Blanc sighs. "I lived with a loving mother, and a little sister. We lived a normal life, with little issues regarding my parent's divorce. Like I said before, we didn't have a Ladybug and Cat Noir, and the Mayor paid little attention to my neighborhood.", he starts.

"I decided to take matters into my own hands and become a hero, like you and Cat Noir. Unfortunately, I met the wrong guy at the wrong time, so I ended up fleeing and staying here."

Ladybug frowns. "But, you didn't have to leave your family.",she says. Tigre Blanc shakes his head. "It's not safe for a hero like me to be in a place like this. A place with frequent muggings, theft, and occasionally murders. I was still filled with rage and regret from that night, so I started stealing and killing too. I'd just be a crime magnet, and my family may be caught in the crossfire.", he explains gloomily. They sit in silence for a while, as if a single word would destroy everything. "Oh, I'm so-", Ladybug starts.

"Don't be. Pity doesn't fix my situation. And besides, my father always taught me to bottle up negative emotions. And though he's somewhere else, I'm not about to disobey him.", he replies. Ladybug stares down to let the words sink in. Okay, he isn't a saint. He still kills people and steals things. Yet he has a reason. Isn't wasn't a 100% foolproof reason, but a reason nonetheless. "Wow, Tigre. That story really brought me down.", she says. Tigre Blanc turns to her. "Yeah, I do that.", he replies casually.

The sound of whistling causes both heroes to freeze. It was a man wrapped in a grey raincoat, carrying a hand truck, and walking towards the small hole-in-the-wall structure. He takes out keys and starts fiddling with the door. Ladybug stares at the man carefully. "I suggest we follow him cautiously.", she whispers. Only Tigre Blanc had hopped down before she spoke, without a plan. Ladybug sighed and followed.

Tigre Blanc walked slowly, gripping the handle of his Katana, just in case. The rain silenced most of his footsteps, yet the man twirled around and stuck a blade out. He looked more frightened than angry, but that didn't stop Tigre from grabbing the bearded man by the throat and slamming him against a wall. He dropped the knife, leaving him defensively. "I know you work for Abel.", he growled. "Tell me where he is, and I'll let you live."

Ladybug swung down and put a hand on Tigre's shoulder. "Try not to be brutal. We need his information, and killing him won't help anything.", Ladybug warned. The man's eyes widened, but loosened up as soon as Ladybug came. "Oh wait, you're one of those heroes. You wouldn't hurt me. It's in your moral code.", the man taunts. Tigre Blanc sighs and throws the man to the ground. He places his foot on the man's chest, pinning him to the concrete.

"I wouldn't joke. Moral Codes won't stop me from breaking something.", he threatens. The man didn't budge, staring him down. "I ain't telling you anything.", the man proposes. Tigre Blanc's eyes regained the slight red trace around his pupil's, before lifting the man up and pressing the Katana onto his throat. "You have no use to me, scum.", he grumbles. Ladybug gasps and holds her hand in front of him. "Stop. I told you not to kill him!", Ladybug breaks in.

"It'll be making this city a bit safer."

"But it's not right. Maybe he _does _work with Abel, but he doesn't deserve to die.", Ladybug says. Tigre Blanc huffs and glares at the man, preparing to slash his throat. Ladybug tears the man from his grip, catching him off-guard. She grabs Tigre and presses him against a wall, staring into his red eyes. "You need to calm down. Remember your humanity, Tigre.", she says softly. Tigre Blanc stops thrashing, before breathing deeply as the red in his eyes vanishes.

His loosens his grip, and the man runs away. Ladybug wasn't gonna let that happen, so she threw her Yo-Yo at the man, stopping him in his tracks. "Where's Abel?", she demands. The man, scared from what had happened a few seconds ago, pointed in the direction behind her. She looked in that direction, and a Warehouse was visible.

She let the man go, who fled into the night...before running into a pole, knocking him out cold. Ladybug walked over to Tigre Blanc. "Are you okay?", she asked. He turned around calmly. "Sorry about that. Anyway, Abel is just over there.", he replies. The two heroes leap to the rooftops and onto the Warehouse. There was a thin window on the roof. Tigre Blanc looked at Ladybug sternly. "Let's go stop Abel.", he says. Ladybug nods affirmatively. They peak in the window, and their eyes widen at what they see inside…

**A/N: Man, my chapters are long as fuck. Anyway, that's Chapter 4 concluded, leave reviews, suggestions, or requests to shape certain factors to your liking. Also, I hope you guys can at least half-tolerate Tigre Blanc; the last thing I need is a Gary Stu.. Like I said, leave down reviews. Until the next Chapter...**


	5. Chapter 5: Sudden Realization

**A/N: Hey, back for another one. Which honestly makes my job more interesting, since this story is blossoming into a...decent flower to say the least. I'd like to personally shout-out LordOfAnimeCrap, along with replying to a review.**

_**Chat and Ladybug: **_**It's fine to dislike Tigre; in fact, that's what I was going for. Of course, it's a bit to early for drastic character development, but hopefully he'll be less of an Asshole as the story progresses.**

**Anyway, time for the chapter…**

The warehouse was pitch black, with the exception of a small lightbulb in a far corner of the room. Yet Ladybug and Tigre could barely make out a hunched figure near the bulb. Their eyes widened at the look of this figure. Not just the shape of it, but the fact that it almost looked like it was focused on something. Probably not them, but it was a possibility.

"Should we go inside?", Ladybug whispered. Tigre Blanc squinted at the hidden figure. "It doesn't seem to notice us, we might as well take a look.", he responded. Funny enough, the window they were peaking from was openable. The heroes weren't about to complain about this, so they slowly opened it. Ladybug scanned the area for a sturdy surface, settling on a satellite dish on the building near them. She flung her Yo-Yo to it, which wrapped around with ease.

She tugged it lightly, and it didn't budge. This was suitableso she inched through the window and began to Rappel down. She looked up at Tigre Blanc. "You need a hand?", she asked quietly. Tigre scanned the area, before casually shaking his head. "I'll find my own way down.", he whispered. Ladybug shrugged and slowly descended from the roof.

Tigre Blanc retracted his claws and stuck them into the inner wall of the warehouse. It made little sound, so he slowly climbed down. As he did, he could barely make out a couple of large shelves next to him. It's contents were unknown, yet that was what they would find out soon. Both had reached the ground safely, but the figure immediately stood up. It reached out a hand to a lever, before pulling it.

The formerly-hidden ceiling lights flicked on, brightening the entire room. Both heroes were startled, and their eyes darted to their surroundings. The large shelves carried vials, hundreds and hundreds of vials, each containing an unknown substance. The floors were covered with brightly covered carpets, mostly red ones covered in foreign symbols

The being wore a red cloak, and Tigre Blanc immediately glared at it. It turned around, brandishing a grin with jagged teeth. Abel outstretched his arms. "Hello, my friends.", he hissed. Tigre Blanc clenched his fists. "Abel…", he growled. Abel snickered and sat down on a cushioned chair. "What brings you fellows here?", he asked mockingly. "Care to buy a Miraculous? This guy here would personally recommend it.", he said, pointing at Tigre.

Ladybug stepped back, frightened by Abel's appearance. She then regained her courage and twirled her Yo-Yo. "What do you want?", she demanded. Abel frowned and stood up. "Me? I want you and your cranky partner to leave my home.", he says. "Then again...the looks on your faces lead me to believe that you're not leaving without a fight."

Tigre Blanc didn't chime in; he was paralyzed with rage. "It doesn't _have _to come to that, if you turn yourself in.", Ladybug offers. Abel's smile returned, this time looking more sadistic. "Oh, poor you. You may be disappointed to know that...**you're not leaving this warehouse!**", he hisses. He leaps up high, spreading out his cloak like bat wings. He glided down and struck the floor with his foot, intending to hit Ladybug. She had sprung backwards, before flinging her Yo-Yo at Abel.

He dodges, glancing at the Yo-Yo going over his shoulder. He grabs it and yanks it hard. Ladybug had been sent flying towards him, so Abel took advantage of this. Instead of performing a simple attack, he reached into his cloak and grabbed a vial, before popping the cap open and pointing it at Ladybug, holding it at a slightly vertical angle. A powerful gust of wind emerged from the vial, blasting Ladybug high into the air, causing her to smack into the ceiling.

Tigre Blanc had finally snapped back into reality and leapt up to catch Ladybug in mid-air. They both landed unharmed, but had left an opening. And Abel wasn't about to ignore that. Thinking quickly, he tore out another vial and threw it at the heroes. It crashed against the ground; a couple of feet away from the heroes. Tigre Blanc had noticed it first, so he scooped Ladybug back up and leapt away, just as the vial went boom.

The explosion blasted Abel back(and the look on his face proved that he screwed up) hard enough to send him flying. Before he hit the wall, Abel landed vertically on the surface, using his feet to spring off of it. He zipped down fast, holding out his arms in the process; intending to knock them off their feet. Ladybug wasn't about to let him get the drop on them, so she flipped right over Abel and used his back as a springboard. This propelled Abel forward at full speed, causing him to crash into the wall.

As Abel recovered, Tigre Blanc pounced on him, launching a hard punch across his face. Before he could do more damage, Abel gathered his strength and grabbed Tigre, before dashing forward and smashing him into the wall. He then used one hand to wrap around Tigre's throat, pinning him against a wall. Abel used his free hand to pull out yet another vial, this one slightly smaller. It also had a tiny hole in the top, so Abel could spritz out whatever was inside.

Luckily for Tigre, Abel was struck by Ladybug's foot; right on the skull. _Un_luckily for Ladybug, Abel wasn't fazed, and instead sprayed the substance right in her eyes. She yelped as the stinging of it blinded her. When she finally managed to open her eyes, Abel had been thrown to the ground, right in front of her. Tigre Blanc wasn't in her sight, but that wouldn't stop her. She kicked Abel in the ribs, knocking him over.

She took this opportunity to blindly pound him with her fists, until he caught both of them within a few seconds. Now, her vision had suddenly returned. She was standing over a bruised Tigre Blanc, not Abel. Ladybug darted around quickly, and was met with a roundhouse to the face, sending her into a wall. Abel smirked sinisterly. "Gotcha.", he taunted. Abel took a few steps back, brushing off his clothes.

"You're still mere teenagers, Heroes. You aren't ready to fight me. Feel free to see yourself out.", he hissed. The heroes had just started to recover, barely crawling to their feet. Coincidentally, they were standing in front of the door. Only another advantage for Abel to use. He squeezed his hands into fists, channeling an aura from his palms. The heroes had just noticed this, but it was too late. Abel blasted two beams out of his hands, knocking the heroes off their feet and right through the large entrance door.

Ladybug and Tigre Blanc collapsed onto the slick concrete of the sidewalk, raindrops slowly drenching them. Ladybug could barely make out the warehouse dissolving into thin air. After a second of lying their, she jolted awake to the sound of Police sirens. Ladybug quickly got up, with Tigre Blanc soon following. Both heroes leapt to the rooftops, just as the cop cars had pulled up to the area.

…

Ladybug and Tigre practically skidded across the roofs, never looking back until they approached the familiar neighborhood. Judging on the sky, it was probably around midnight. The heroes collapsed on a roof, breathing heavily after the recent incident. Tigre Blanc slowly sat up. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this.", he says. Ladybug was awake enough to process what she had heard, so she sat up too.

"No...no, it's perfectly fine.", she says tiredly. Tigre Blanc sighs and stands up. "I underestimated Abel, and I forced you and Cat Noir to participate in my mission. And I'm sure my interference hasn't had pleasant effects on your lifestyle.", he says.

Although that last part was true, Ladybug reassuringly held her palm up to silence him. "Really, it's fine. Abel's a criminal, and It's my job to bring people like him to justice."

"But not full time. I've shoved your personal life out of the way just to make more time for Abel. And I admit, I've kind of been-"

"An asshole?", Ladybug asks, raising an eyebrow. Tigre Blanc leans against a chimney. "I was gonna say _rude_, but that sums it up. Anyway, I haven't been fair to you, so I'd like to personally apologize.", he says. A small smile curls up on Ladybug's lips. "Okay, apology accepted.", she says, standing up. Ladybug prepares her Yo-Yo to swing back home.

"I just remembered something.", Tigre Blanc says suddenly. Ladybug turns around curiously. "What?", she asks. Tigre Blanc walks closer to her. "I never fulfilled my side of the deal. I haven't helped _you _yet.", he explains. This got Ladybug's attention, so she folds her arms, waiting to hear his proposition. "If you're set on taking Abel down, great; we can always re-focus on finding him every once in a while. But to help your mental state, I'll try to intrude as little as possible. And like I said, if you need help with anything, just call.", he proposes.

Ladybug smiles and nods before holding out her hand. Tigre Blanc shakes it before letting go. "Oh, and don't think I'll change my attitude because of what happened back there. This won't be easy, so no complaints from you and your partner.", he adds, reverting back to his usual cold self. He leaps off the roof, disappearing into the night. No thoughts lingered in Ladybug's head. She was free; free of Tigre, free of Abel, and most of all: free of the stresses they brought onto her. For now, _she could get her life back._

…

Adrien woke up without warning, startling Plagg enough to make him fall off the bed. He plopped onto the floor, rubbing his head. "Jeez, Adrien. Try to wake up a little less sudden.", Plagg whined. Adrien rubbed his eyes tiredly and sat up. "Sorry, Plagg. I'm just stressing over stuff.", he groaned. Plagg's eyes narrowed as he zipped up to sit on Adrien's shoulder. "Alright, alright. Just to get you to shut your mouth and go to sleep...tell me what's going on.", Plagg says.

"Well, I'm just worried about Ladybug. Tigre Blanc seems dangerous, and god knows what he could do to her.", Adrien says softly. Plagg frowns and sits on Adrien's nightstand. "Look, Adrien. I'm not just saying this because I'm hungry, and I need to suck up to you to get some cheese...although that would be nice.", Plagg starts.

"No, Ladybug is smart. Smart enough to not trust this new Tigre Blanc guy, and certainly smart enough to not get herself killed. Maybe, you can convince Ladybug to arrest him when all this drama is cleared up. She'll be fine, and you've done nothing wrong so far.", Plagg concludes. Adrien manages to flash a smile. "Thanks Plagg, that really helped.", he says affectionately. Plagg shrugs and lays down. After a moment of silence, Plagg pops one eye open.

"So...about that cheese."

…

Gabriel couldn't rest: too much was on his mind. Abel hasn't returned, there was a report of a warehouse incident, and a sighting of two heroes emerging from it. He stood up and walked from his bedroom, roaming down to his painting. Emile Agreste. He missed her more than anything, and would do anything to bring her back. Abel's words have given him hope, but was it a lie? A trick into becoming his pawn? He hoped not. Otherwise, he'd have to kill him.

"Am I interrupting something?", Abel asked. Gabriel jumped; startled at the sudden entrance. "What happened back there?", Gabriel demands. Abel's red eyes narrowed. "I wasn't fully prepared for the heroes, and it cost me. I managed to relocate the warehouse to a safer area, but I can't risk them finding me. However, you could always take a _direct _approach.", Abel suggested.

"Direct? How so?"

"You could akumatize one of your victims, with help from me of course. And if they're lucky enough, they'll keep the heroes busy. Then, you could get out there and finish the job.", Abel explains. Gabriel freezes at that last part. Abel frowns. "You..._can _go out there, right?", he asks. Slightly embarrassed, Gabriel turns away. "Well...I usually just stay here and akumatize victims. They fail, but I could never risk an encounter.", Gabriel blurts out.

"Oh, so you're incompetent."

"What? No!"

"And you said that your akumatized victims **always **fail?", Abel asked again, egging him on. Gabriel straightened his glasses. "They haven't won yet, but everyday I learn more and more about the heroes; bringing me closer to defeating them.", Gabriel responds stubbornly. Abel's eyes widen in anger. "I agreed to work with you because I thought you were _experienced_.", Abel hisses. "I mean, why can't you just TELL the victims how to beat them? You've obviously dealt with them long enough to know their tricks. Yet you're a coward, it's no wonder your villains are useless.", he declares.

Now, rage burned in Gabriel. "Fine! I'll akumatize someone, and instead of you powering me, l'll show you that my approach is the superior strategy.", he concludes. Abel's anger disappears and he brandishes an almost mocking smile. "Glad we could come to an agreement.", he says.

…

Luckily for Marinette, it was a Weekend; which meant a whole two days of Reciprocation. She remembered Tigre Blanc's words, so she made a mental note to call him in case she really needed assistance. But now that he finally laid off, she could go back to her normal life. Wow, this had really been clogging up her mind lately. She needed to stop thinking about these things.

A ring came from Marinette's phone. It was Alya. Marinette clicked it to answer, before placing it to her ear. "Hey, Alya.", Marinette said cheerfully. "Hey, girl. You alright? You were acting...different yesterday.", Alya asks. Marinette pauses, thinking of an excuse. "Just...uh, girl troubles.", Marinette blurts out. Alya smirks on the other end, having a few ideas of Marinette's "girl troubles".

"Riiight.", Alya says smugly. "Anyway, I've been following this woman online, and she's pretty cool. She's a Plant Biologist, and uploads videos from her new TV show frequently; and she's currently live!", Alya exclaimed excitedly. Marinette had no need to question this. Alya had good taste. "Cool. Send it to me and I'll-", Marinette starts. Her phone beeped as a notification came up. Alya had already sent her the video. After Alya immediately hung up, Marinette clicked into the text and watched the video.

…

A young brunette wearing a green long sleeved shirt and a dark brown vest stood inside a large glass greenhouse, surrounded by several plants; of all shapes and sizes. She sported a smile, with a twinge of noticeable nervousness, and ran her fingers over a large flower-like plant. The woman also held a cute little Flower wand, for prop purposes.

"Hello everyone.", the woman greeted. "My name is Olivia Woods, and I'm here today to discuss an incredibly interesting species of Flora.", Olivia says, pointing the wand at it. The flower was huge, with large violet blooming spadum and a tall spadix in the middle of it. "This is an _Amorphophallus titanum_, also known as the Corpse Flower.", Olivia explains. "Today, we will explore the anatomy of this species, as well as figuring out how it earned it's identity...after these messages.", Olivia concludes.

Marinette smiled at the woman's interest in her work, enjoying the presence of someone who really loved their job, besides her parents of course. Off-Screen however, was a different story.

**MEANWHILE OFFSCREEN…**

Olivia sat in a chair, her face buried in her hands as three men were standing in front of her. One was her manager, and then there was a tall white man with a white suit and moustache, as well as his son: wearing a purple outfit sported with fancy blonde hair. They were none other than Bob Roth and Mr. XY.

"I'm sorry Olivia, but there's nothing we can do.", the Manager said sadly. Mr. XY smirked wickedly at the situation, while Bob stepped in. "The truth is, my son here has exceeded his usual popularity, and decided on his own TV show. So he'll be taking your spot on this channel.", Bob explains, with no remorse. Olivia was on the verge of tears, but managed to conceal them. "Please, don't do this.", she pleaded. "I love my job, and this is the one way to share my interests with the world.",

Mr. XY sneers and looks up at his Dad. Bob seems to understand the gesture. "We'll start clearing out your studio. And the Plants, we'll be confiscating those too.", Bob says coldly. He points at the camera man. "You, stop the showtimes for the day. This was her last episode.", Bob concludes. The camera man hesitantly obliges and shuts the camera off. Olivia hangs her head and walks away, only stopping at the sound of Mr. XY's voice. "Better luck next time.", he taunts.

Olivia's fists balled up with rage. She wanted to beat the brat to a pulp, but she was practically powerless right now. She locks herself in a storage closet, before breaking down crying.

…

Hawk Moth smirked evilly at the situation. Abel simply watches in curiosity. "Hm, this villain may put up a fight.", Abel says. Hawk Moth ignores him and cups the Butterfly, skipping his usual monologue. "Fly away, my evil Akuma; and show them what Nature can really do!", Hawk Moth booms.

…

The Akuma slides through the door with relative ease and flies into the flower wand. Olivia's eyes shot open. "**Blackweed**, I am Hawk Moth.", he starts. Abel holds back laughter. "Blackweed? What kind of a name is that?", Abel exclaims, snickering. Hawk Moth turns around and grits his teeth. "Shut up.", he growls. Olivia tilts her head in confusion.

"What?", the dazed Olivia asks. Hawk Moth realizes his mistake. "No, that...wasn't to you.", he corrects. "Anyway, you shall get sweet revenge on the ones who wronged you. But first, you will retrieve Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculouses-"

"And you'll probably fail.", Abel chimes in. Hawk Moth snaps backwards. "SHUT. UP.", he hisses. Olivia squinted in confusion. "Is someone else with you?", she asked groggily. Hawk Moth holds up a gesture to silence Abel, before re-contacting her. "Forget it. Just remember our deal.", Hawk Moth concludes. "A _failure_ of a deal.", Abel chimes in smugly.

"SHUT UP!"

"Yes, Hawk Moth."

"NOT TO YOU- oh wait."

Olivia is engulfed in darkness, while Hawk Moth tackles Abel out of sheer frustration.

…

Marinette watches in confusion as the show didn't turn back on. Tikki(who had just begun watching) was also confused. "Maybe there was a technical problem.", Tikki suggests. Marinette exits the video...just as a giant thorned vine rips through her house. Marinette yelped as it flipped her bed over, launching her onto the ground. The long and thick root wrapped around her house and slowly tightened its grip. Marinette panicked and tried to transform, but she ended up tripping and getting her foot stuck under the crushed bed.

To frightened for words, she tugged with all her might, even Tikki tugging on her finger to help: but she didn't budge. Finally, she popped out, but by then the walls were practically closing in. Fear swept over Marinette. This was the end for sure. Until her Trapdoor was ripped open, and a hand reached through. Marinette immediately latched onto it, with Tikki soon following. She was pulled out, just as her room was crushed.

She turned to her saviour, and Tigre Blanc stood there, looking slightly roughed up. Marinette exhaled slowly as relief washed over her. "Thanks.", she said, still recovering from the near Death situation. "Don't mention it. And your parents are safe, so don't worry about them.", he says. Marinette scans for the source, and wasn't disappointed. Several of the roots had tore through nearby buildings, tangled together like one big plant. A large pink flower bloomed, and a woman sat in it. From what she could make out, the woman had dark green hair, covered in tiny vines and flowers. She had light blue eyes, with sparkles of yellow in it. Her dress was made out of flower petals, with glittering pollen covering her. Little flora grew along her body, and she conducted the spread of plants through Paris.

"Where do they keep getting these villains?", Tigre Blanc grumbled. "Time to transform.", Marinette says. Tigre Blanc nods and leaps down, dashing across the rooftops. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!", Marinette exclaims.

…

Cat Noir lands upon a rooftop, barely avoiding a lurching root, which tore through another roof like wet toilet paper. He simply gapes at his surroundings. It was like something out of a horror movie. Ladybug then lands beside Cat Noir, who immediately turns to her.

"Wow.", Cat Noir says. "This is...new." Tigre Blanc lands too, and Cat Noir groans in his mind. "Do any of you have a plan?", he asks. Ladybug assesses the situation. "We should all head down there and take a look.", Ladybug concludes. "Let's get an idea of what the villain is capable of." The other heroes obliged without protest, as all three of them leapt off the roof and tailed the new villainess.

Blackweed sat upon her Flower throne, grinning at her Nature Kingdom. She took in the view while it lasted, then she would go after Bob and his rotten son, and get revenge on them. Little harmless revenge...by crushing them with her powerful roots. Hopefully, the heroes didn't show up anytime soon. Far behind her, the three heroes watched carefully. Blackweed was surrounded by large vines, surrounding her like a web.

"So, what's the plan Bugaboo?", Cat Noir whispered. Tigre Blanc was taken aback at this. "The hell did he just call you?", Tigre Blanc retorts. Ladybug ignores the predicament and thinks of a plan. Finally, one pops into her head. "Maybe if we're quick enough, we can subdue her before she can defend herself. Cat Noir, ambush from the right. Tigre, take the right. I'll take her from behind.", Ladybug suggests.

"And if things go South, I'll use a Cataclysm to get us out of a jam." Cat Noir adds. The plan was settled. Each hero took position, and consistently moved closer. Once they could all see each other, Ladybug nodded once, signaling the ambush. They leapt at Blackweed, who simply waved a wand before the heroes were snagged by her roots. Blackweed frowned as she stepped off of her Throne, and down stairs made of puffy pink flora.

"Nature is everywhere, Ladybug.", Blackweed taunted with a silky voice. "I heard your little plan. You shouldn't have interfered." Ladybug and Tigre struggled against their grip, while a bright idea entered Cat Noir's mind. He whispered _Cataclysm_, and touched the thick root with what little finger room he had. It disintegrated, as the ashes dropped the floor; so did Cat Noir.

He extended his staff, giving him a boost; attempting to knock her off her feet. Blackweed made another wand gesture and a large flower sprouted from the ground, swooping Cat Noir off balance and onto the floor. As he recovers, Blackweed sweeps his leg with enough force to send him into the air, before gesturing a vine to grab him by the torso, before it held him upside down.

Blackweed groaned and stepped onto a large root. "It's been a few minutes and I'm already tired of you three. Revenge first, then I'll deal with you.", she declares. The root shoots through the sky, while Blackweed rode it like horse, traveling to her studio

…

Hawk Moth stared in annoyance as Blackweed evaded her main task. Abel watched in amusement. "Are you sure you don't need my help?", he asks, not really caring for an answer. Hawk Moth pinched the bridge of his nose and huffs. "Just be quiet and wait. It will work once things really start to happen.", Hawk Moth assures.

…

The studio's roof is ripped open with relative ease, the large root discarding the rubble. Mr. XY yelps and falls of his seat, while Bob Roth jumps at Blackweed's entrance. The villainess smirked devilishly as she signals vines to zip from the ceiling and latch onto Bob and his son's arms. As they were lifted up, Blackweed glared at her foes. "Hey! What's going on?!", Bob yelled. Blackweed spitefully walks up and smacks across Bob's face.

"Open your eyes, dumbassess. It's me, Olivia. Except now that I've harnessed the power of Mother Nature, I'll get my revenge on you two.", she hissed. Mr. XY was too scared to talk, meanwhile Bob thrashed against the vines, with no success. Blackweed made another signal, and two large pods emerged from the ground and opened up. The vines retreated as Blackweed lifted both of the men by their throats, before casually tossing each into their very own pod.

Blackweed grinned as the Pods sealed shut, knowing what the next step was. The Pods began to fill up with Sap, intending to drown her victims. Before she performed her well earned cackle, Hawk Moth tapped into her mind once again. "_Remember our Deal, Blackweed. Ladybug and Cat Noir should be here soon, and once they do, retrieve their Miraculouses!" , _he reminded.

Blackweed rolled her eyes, yet made a mental note to retrieve the jewels. A metallic staff extended from the (former) ceiling, knocking the wand from her hand. He eyes widened as Cat Noir zipped down and kicked Blackweed to the floor, with enough time to snap the wand...or so he thought. Blackweed rolled backwards and managed to signal a root to grab Cat Noir, before any damage was done. Retrieving her wand(so she could control her Plants easier than without) she used it to blast two more roots from the ground. Just as Tigre and Ladybug landed inside the studio, the roots latched onto both boys and through them out of the room.

Ladybug was left unscathed, but once she was able to think react, Blackweed ran over and Drop kicked her, sending Ladybug though the hole in the wall that Cat Noir was sent out of. Thinking fast, she hurled her Yo-Yo at Blackweed's foot, grabbing her and pulling her along with Ladybug.

The three heroes hit the concrete hard, but luckily Blackweed was smacked flat too. The heroes regained their composure and observed the villainess, slowly stepping backwards. "What do we do, Ladybug? She's too strong!", Cat Noir exclaims. Tigre Blanc plucks a thorn from his side. "We can't get close, or she'll just use her powers to defend herself again.", Tigre added.

"Exactly. But there's nothing a Lucky Charm can't fix.", Ladybug reassured. "LUCKY CHARM!", she exclaimed, as an item was spawned from the air. It landed in her hands, and Ladybug squinted at the object. "A scrap of Metal?", she mumbled to herself. Looking around, Cat Noir lit up, as did Tigre, along with Blackweed, and finally returning to the metal.

"I've got it!", she exclaimed. Blackweed began to slowly recover, which put the heroes under a time crunch. Whispering the plan into the heroes ears(in the hope that Blackweed wouldn't hear them this time) Cat Noir grabbed the scrap and dashed over to Blackweed. Using her head as a Springboard, he grabbed his staff and smacked it against the edge of the metal scrap. Sparks flew off the object, landing on a nearby root.

Blackweed screeched as the Root caught fire, the Root thrashing as it was slowly destroyed. Cat Noir tossed the Scrap over to Tigre, who followed the same procedure. He lightly chipped the edge of the scrap, creating Sparks once again. It caught fire on Blackweed's nearby plants, causing her to scream again.

"STOP IT, YOU **PESTS!"**, she yelled, to no avail. Tigre and Cat Noir alternated with the spark creating, occasionally maneuvering around hostile roots. Finally, her Plants began to catch fire on their own, until all her plants were blazing with flames. Blackweed crumpled to the ground, before zipping back up. This time, she looked like burnt charcoal, with bright orange cracks all over her body. She screamed and charged at Ladybug with pure rage.

Ladybug instead threw her Yo-Yo at her head, bonking her face and stunning her. Tigre Blanc leaped from the air and elbowed her across the face, with Cat Noir following up by uppercutting her, before Ladybug grabbed the wand and broke it over Blackweed's head. It broke instantly, and an Akuma fluttered out of it, "No more evil doing for you, little Akuma. TIME TO DE-EVILIZE!", Ladybug yelled as her Yo-Yo absorbed the Akuma, before it released a white butterfly.

…

Hawk Moth gawked at his utter loss. Abel inched over and glanced at the man. "...You failed.", he points out.

"She wasn't good enough. One day I'll beat them. I-"

"But...you still failed.", he repeats smugly. Hawk Moth grits his teeth. "Why must you keep teasing me?", he asks. Abel shrugs. "I expected more of you, Gabriel. Besides, my little predicament has already eaten up their time. They even forgot to check on the victims.", Abel points out.

Hawk Moth sighs. "Maybe you're right. We'll do better as a team. And when all this is over, both of us get what we want.", he concludes. Abel clasps his hands. "Perfect.", he responds, grinning evilly behind his back.

"And the amulet, that's what controls the new hero's rage?"

"Indeed. Although half the time, using it can be...unnecessary."

…

Bidding goodbye to the Butterfly, Ladybug activated her Miraculous Ladybug, which zoomed around the city; fixing all property damage and erasing all plants, vines, pods, and roots. The city was safe and back to normal. Once everything was all and well, Ladybug and Cat Noir celebrated with a traditional "Pound It", not noticing Tigre crouching in the corner.

He kept his breathing steady, shutting his eyes as tight as possible while pressing his fingers into his temples. When the heroes finally turned to him, only one of them knew what was going on. "What's wrong with him?", Cat Noir asked, almost sounding annoyed. Ladybug didn't answer, the beep of her Miraculous saving her from the situation. "Oh, sorry Cat. I'm about to change back. You should go.", she said.

Cat Noir frowned and didn't move. "Ladybug, you need to stop excluding me from your business. C'mon, we're partners.", he reminded. Ladybug bit her lip and glanced at Tigre from the corner of her eye. "I really am sorry. But I'm afraid this isn't your business right now. When the time is right, I'll explain everything. I _promise_.", she replied.

Cat Noir sighed in annoyance and exited the area. He was _really _beginning to hate secrets. Meanwhile, Ladybug slowly walked over to the quivering Tigre. "Are...you alright?", Ladybug asked cautiously. Once she spoke, the red tint in the boy's eyes disappeared. He stands up as if nothing happened. "Probably Abel again. It's more of an on-again, off-again state.", he explains.

Ladybug remembers her earrings, just as Tigre does. "Pleasure fighting with you. I'll leave you to your business.", he concludes, leaving. Ladybug uneasily takes in the words.

"Wait."

Tigre turns over to the sound of her voice. "When I really think about it, I can't relax knowing that someone like Abel is on the loose. I appreciate the understanding, but the situation is getting worse by the minute. We should really continue our search.", she concludes.

"Right. But hopefully Cat Noir no longer interferes.", Tigre adds. Ladybug didn't quite know why Cat Noir was kept out of the investigation, but questioning it would come later. Suddenly, she immediately de-transform s, turning back into Marinette. Gasping, she scans the area for pedestrians. There were none nearby.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she latched back onto the subject. "While you were being paranoid, I already recalled a lead I had. It's risky, so do you really want to take the job?", he asks. Marinette nods affirmatively. "I'll do whatever it takes to bring Abel to justice.", she says firmly.

"Whatever it takes?", Tigre asks, giving her a final chance.

"...Whatever it takes."

**A/N: Hey, you made it through the chapter. This one felt difficult to write, since it ain't easy to tread over calmer parts of an important story. Or maybe it's just me, I dunno. So anyway, I hope you guys liked the long chapter(should I write shorter ones?) and hopefully you'll read the next.**

**Until the next chapter...**


	6. Chapter 6: Investigation Declaration

**A/N: Here I am again; watching Shrek The Musical on Netflix, as well as bringing in a new chapter. Here, we tread into deeper territory, since as each chapter goes on, shit get weirder. Yet we aren't quite close to being finished. Let's enjoy this chapter for the time being. Unless it sucks, of course.**

Cat Noir groans as he plops onto his bedroom floor. After a quick "Claws In.", Adrien walked over to a wall and banged his head on it. Plagg had appeared, and sighed as the boy continued the head banging. "What's wrong now?", Plagg groaned. Adrien halted the painful transaction, ignoring the pain in his forehead.

"Ladybug's hiding things from me again.", Adrien reveals. Plagg twitched for a bit before pausing. He buries his face in Adrien's pillow, screaming as loud as possible(although it was all muffled) before immediately pulling away. "Alright, Adrien. I want to talk about this for a second.", Plagg informs. The blonde model turns to his Kwami and leans against his wall nonchalantly, eager to hear his explanation. Plagg flew upwards, clearing his throat as he prepares for his presentation. "Ladybug keeps secrets from you, and you don't like it, right?", Plagg starts.

"Right.", Adrien confirms. "Good, that was the easy part. So what exactly makes you think you have the right to know these secrets?", Plagg tested. Adrien puts on a confident face. "Obviously because I'm her partner. And partners should tell each other things. Literally anything. We shouldn't be keeping any secrets!", he responds angrily. Plagg places both his hands on his face and drags them down in frustration.

"Look, I'm not saying you're a selfish idiot. But I want you to think about the situation. Think. Hard.", Plagg demands. Adrien scatches his chin. "I think she needs to apologise.", Adrien answers. Plagg doesn't respond. He sighs deeply, before flying into one of his cupboards, emerging with a piece of cheese. "This will dull the pain.", he explains grimly. Adrien ignores this and plops on his bed, before flipping on his phone. He was going to get to the bottom of this.

…

Tigre Blanc slid through the trapdoor roof after Marinette had entered. She sat upon her bed as the fellow hero had landed in her room. He observed the scenery. "Nice room.", he said half-seriously, taking a second to glare at the Adrien photos. "You said you had a lead to finding Abel.", Marinette reminds. Tigre Blanc claps his hands after remembering.

"Indeed I do. Back on the other side of the city, one of Abel's allies has a special hang out area. I suggest we enter it and question the suspect.", he says. Marinette was not surprised. It sounded easy enough. "Oh and we'll need Marinette for this job, not Ladybug.", he adds. Marinette tenses up at his words.

"But wouldn't that be...dangerous?", she asks anxiously. Tigre Blanc nods. "It's your only chance of getting in. I happen to know the people in that specific area, but they wouldn't be very welcoming to a legal superhero.", he explains. "But if things go wrong, you'll need to transform."

Marinette takes it all in. "Will I be...in danger?", she asks timidly. Tigre Blanc notices how nervous she is, so he refrains from any more info. "Not when I'm there. Like I said, I know people in the area, and they wouldn't harm a guest of mine.", he calmly explains.

"So, when do we head out?"

"Sunset. I'll meet you here.", he responds. Reaching up to grab the door handle, he opened the Trap Door and climbed through it, shutting the door behind him. Marinette inhales sharply and collapses on her bed. Why does she keep agreeing to do these things?

Tikki crawls up to lean on Marinette's shoulder. "Well, at least you'll have protection.", Tikki squeaked, looking on the bright side of things.

…

Abel poured the clear liquid on his hands once again, shifting his palms in a circular motion to once again spy on the heroes. From the info he could take in, they were heading to interrogate one of his known accomplices, and that would bring them a step closer to finding him.

Gabriel entered his Office, holding a mug of black coffee. "This isn't good.", Abel hissed. Gabriel looked over his shoulder, only for Abel to quickly shut down the spying. "They're going to find us, Gabriel!", Abel exclaims. Gabriel's eyes widen in confusion. "What? How?", he asks.

"They've caught onto a lead; a famous nightclub that happens to be my ally's hideout. If they manage to get information out of him, they'll know where I am, and they'll find you too.", he explains. Gabriel assesses the situation. This was indeed an issue.

"Who is this...ally off yours?"

"It's a long story, so I'll explain later. For now, I'll need to contact him."

Gabriel nodded and stood aside while Abel poured the identical liquid onto his hands. Swiping the air with his palms, a man's face appeared. He looked tough, with slightly darker skin and no hair on his head; instead having stitches along his scalp. With whatever part of his lower neck was visible, he wore the same red cloak as Abel.

"Yes, Abel?", the man asked gruffly, with a thick Russian accent.

"Hey Jak.", Abel responded. "Are you in the secret room?", he asked cautiously. Jak nodded, the muffled beats of music coming from another area.

"Good. Since you also own the place, I need you to heed my warning. These superheroes are after me, and they have managed to label you as my ally.", Abel responds. Jak doesn't look concerned. "Remember that I _own _the building Abel. I'll be prepared. They won't find this room, or you.", he assures.

"Good luck. You'll need it.", Abel says dryly.

Once Abel disconnected, Gabriel only watched curiously. "Once you're done, you've got some explaining to do.", he says sternly.

…

The sun was setting fairly quickly, attracting partygoers to the bright Nightclub. With the daylight fading, the flashing beams of light seemed brighter by the second, slightly upstaging the booming music emerging from the building's thin walls.

The flashing Neon lights made the Structure easy to spot, with Ladybug and Tigre Blanc watching from the safety of a dark alleyway, squinting their eyes slightly to withstand the flashing lights. "Le Requin Indigo. The Indigo Shark.", Tigre Blanc read.

"Why would an ally of someone like Abel hang around...here?", Marinette asked. Tigre leapt onto the Fire escape and sat upon the railing. "From what we saw, Abel was resourceful. He must have friends in high places. Even if those places are shady nightclubs.", he explains, almost matter of factly.

Shifting her glance to the entrance, a bulky bouncer let certain people in. This was a problem. "How are we going to get there without that man spotting us?", Marinette asks. Tigre Blanc slides off the railing and peaked at the predicament. "We can't. I think there may be a side entrance.", he declares.

Offering a hand, Marinette took it without hesitation. Scooping her up with relative ease, Tigre Blanc leapt high and far enough to avoid the gaze of bystanders, as well as covering ground. Marinette wasn't fazed by this. Cat Noir had held her and sped across the city many times, so this was a normal occurrence.

Landing gracefully, he released Marinette of the grip and pointed ahead of them. A smaller door sat under a red awning, with no bouncer this time. Tigre casually walked over to the door and knocked hard on it. A metal slot on the front of the door slid open as two grey eyes peeked out.

"What's the Password?", a man's voice asked gruffly. Tigre Blanc didn't looked amused. "Lenny, there's no Password. Open the door.", he ordered. The door popped open. Standin there was a large yet muscular man wearing a bright orange collared shirt, with dark green pants and brown beat-up shoes. His beard and thinning hair were greying, suggesting that the man was getting old.

"Okay, Tigre. You win. What do you need this time? And who's that?", he asked.

"This is-"

"B-Bridgette!", Marinette blurted out**(Very little will get the reference. Google it.)**. Lenny wasn't fazed, but Tigre Blanc looked puzzled. Marinette winked subtly, so Tigre turned back to Lenny. "Yeah. This is Bridgette. Just a friend. But I came for something more important.", he says, regaining his concentration. Lenny motioned the two to follow him, opening the creaky door and walking down a shiny hallway.

Marinette and Tigre awkwardly squeeze into the narrow hallways, following there guide. "Did you come up with that fake name yourself?", he whispered. Glancing for any eavesdroppers, she leaned in.

"It probably wouldn't have been safe to use my real name.", she responds.

"That's...smart. Good call."

Lenny turns around at the end of the hallway. "It's pretty clear that you're here for something important.", he says. "After all, this is the only time you entered _with _your Katana."

"Indeed. We suspect one of Abel's accomplices owns this building. Where is he at the moment?", he asks. Lenny glances at a neon staircase. That's right, the stairs had lights. "He's up in the VIP lounge. Although I should warn you, he wouldn't take kindly to some murderous vigilante interrogating him in his own place.", he warns.

"Maybe I should do the talking.", Marinette suggests. Tigre Blanc was taken aback, but Lenny smiles and leads them to the staircase. "Good idea. He's less likely to attack if an unarmed citizen asks the questions. Good luck.", he says. Tigre and Marinette hesitantly walked up the steps, the booming sounds of music slowly rising in volume.

"You sure you're okay with this?"

"Uh...y-yeah! Of course.", Marinette stammers. Clearly nervous, she reluctantly knocks upon the only door they could find; which also had a small sign reading **"VIP ROOM"**. The door was opened by a large bouncer in a black suit. He looked intimidating, and certainly caught both heroes off-guard.

"Uh...hi?", Marinette greeted timidly. The bouncer wasn't amused, and folded his arms. "What do you want?", he demanded. Tigre quickly grabbed his Katana and held it behind his back. "We want to talk to Jak.", Marinette said with an awkward smile. The Bouncer sneered at them and blocked the doorway with his arms. "Show me your VIP passes.", he spat.

Marinette gulped at the dilemma. It was torture for Tigre to simply watch, so he sighed and shook his head. "Not tonight.", he says with a twinge of annoyance. He threw his sword at the man's head; only he launched it in a way that the Katana twirled in mid-air, so the butt of the blade was what collided with his skull. The man was stunned, wobbling around for a bit before suddenly collapsing onto the floor.

Both of the hero's eyes darted around for bystanders. Within further inspection, the man had collapsed onto a thick rug, muffling the sound. Tigre Blanc kneeled down to check the man's pulse. He was alive, yet unconscious. All seemed well, until he was interrupted by a tap of the shoulder. Glancing upwards, Marinette pointed to a door. It was a simple door, yet less fancy looking than the previous ones. A black sign read **Staff Only**.

"I've got a bad feeling about where that leads.", Marinette mumbles. Tigre Blanc wastes no time strutting over and striking the door with a kick, causing it to detach from it's frame and plummet down a dark staircase. There appeared to be no light, yet the faraway neon glow projected light upon most of the lower area.

"I'll transform, just in case.", Marinette whispered. Tigre never broke eye contact with the staircase's hallway, only nodding to confirm affirmation. Marinette dashed to a nearby storage closet, locking herself in it and shouting a muffled "Spots On", as the transformation took its course. A shout was heard. Not from Tigre, from what Ladybug could make out.

Once she burst from the Closet, a blur went by, crashing into what sounded like a wall. A large bald man emerged from the previously observed staircase. A fresh ghash stood utop the man's head, cutting through the line of stitches surrounding the man's scalp. He wore a crimson cloak, barely tainted by the crumbling pieces of plaster falling off of it.

Ladybug gasped and hurled her Yo-Yo at the man's large shoulder. It was sturdy, so she tugged it once, the Yo-Yo zipping her fast enough to catch the man off guard. Tigre Blanc laid in the rubble, emerging at a slower pace. Ladybug maneuvered around the man's attempted grabs, ending up along his shoulder blades.

"Abel warned me if your appearance.", the russian man growled. Ladybug jabbed the man's neck, leaning backwards far enough to avoid being grabbed. "You work for Abel?!", she asked, surprised. The Russian man doesn't respond and immediately smashes his back into a wall, loosening Ladybug's grip. He threw a heavy punch, which Ladybug barely avoided. The fist penetrated the wall with ease. Ladybug gulped nervously.

Grasping her by her waist, the man slammed Ladybug to the ground, which crunched from the sheer power of the man. He then pinned Ladybug down, using his other arm to examine her earrings. His eyes widened slightly. A fist to the skull(courtesy of Tigre) interrupted the man's actions. He grunted in anger, stunning him for a split second. Ladybug escaped the bounds and flipped over the man, tying her Yo-Yo around his arms and chest. Tigre held the Katana to the man's throat.

"I saw what was down there, Ladybug. He knows things."

"Good.", Ladybug replied. "Now, care to tell us where Abel is? Maybe we'll let you off easy.", Ladybug declared. The man struggled against the bounds, before giving up entirely. "Fine. My name is Jak. I indeed work for Abel, but I won't tell you anything. Is that the response you wanted.?", the russian man growls.

Ladybug's tightened the grip, making sure he doesn't try anything, before leaning to Tigre's ear. "Alright, he won't talk. Got any ideas?", she whispered. Tigre strokes his chin as he thinks. "He seemed surprised by your Miraculous. Maybe we can use that.", he suggests.

An idea pops into Ladybug's head. With that freshly created idea in her noggin, she walked up to Jak and kneeled downwards to face him. "Jak, please. You're tied down, and we know how to get you to talk.", she confirmed confidently. Jak showed no signs of caring, so Ladybug leaned up to his ear and whispered a special threat.

_"We know Master Fu."_

Jak's eyes widened with rage. Immediately maneuvering through the tangled Yo-Yo, he grabbed both heroes by the throats. "I have connections with Master Fu. I'm afraid I'll have to kill you now.", he hisses. He dashes forward, smashing through the wall connecting to the most popular room of the Nightclub; the dance floor. Bursting through the obstacle with no issue, and hurled both heroes across the room. Ladybug hit the floor hard(while Tigre smashed into the bar) as several partygoers screamed and exited, leaving the room empty.

Both heroes recovered, while Jak stood like a statue, waiting for the next move. Suddenly, more red cloaked people entered through numerous doors, standing behind Jak and glaring daggers at the duo. "You underestimated us, heroes! Abel has more allies than you think…", he shouts.

The army began to crowd around the heroes, cornering them against the bar. "Well...we're in a pickle, aren't we?", Ladybug asked. Tigre reached for his Katana. "We're severely outnumbered. Got any ideas?", he responded.

The spotted hero examined her surroundings. The men in red cloaks were fixated on their movements. They were in a large group, so a head on attack would lead to failure. "Maybe we could separate them.", Ladybug whispered. "When I say so, we escape in opposite directions. That way, the group will split up. We can pick them off easier that way.

"Good plan, Spots. Ready when you are.", he whispered back. Ladybug waited until the men had crowded closer; it was time to set the plan into action. "Ready?", Ladybug whispered. Tigre didn't answer. He was practically ignoring her. Ladybug pouted and reached out...right as Tigre's hand latched onto his blade, throwing as hard as he can. The sword zooms through the air, piercing one of the men's throats.

Blood spurted out from the wound as the man desperately tried to pull it out with his quivering hands, to no avail. The other men jumped back, as Jak's eyes widened, turning to face the culprit. Tigre Blanc turned to Ladybug, only catching her with the corner of his red tinted eye. Gasping, Ladybug lurches forward to grab the corrupted hero, only for him to dodge and pounce on another opponent.

Jak grit his teeth and charges at the bloodlusted Tigre, just as Ladybug throws her Yo-Yo to twirl around his arm. She leapt over Jak's large figure, maneuvering around his body to kick him in the gut with two feet. Jak clumsily jabbed in her direction, which led to Ladybug simply twisted away and bouncing over his head. While she grappled with the group of foes, Tigre repeatedly slashed at the men's flesh, not caring if it killed them or not.

Kicking aside a lifeless corpse, the robed men pulled out a variety of blades. They looked ancient, almost if the group had...standards. Ladybug narrowly dodged a slash, blindly kicking one of the men, before striking another. Unfortunately, they had started to pile upon her, outnumbering her severely.

Tigre Blanc also struggled with the growing crowd, as he was also buried in the group. Jak stood to the side, not wanting to interrupt his allies. Ladybug hurled her Yo-Yo above the crowd, lassowing around a stray table. Yanking it hard, it zips towards the army. Ladybug bursts above them, narrowly flipping over the table, boosting it forward with two feet.

It crashed into the men like bowling pins, knocking several of them to the floor. Jak finally decides to interfere, ramming into Ladybug with a shoulder. She yelps from the impact, barely catching herself from hitting the floor. "Give up, Jak!", she shouts. "We know who you are, and we've already fought your men off long enough!"

Jak glances at Tigre, his reddish pupils matching the blood on his suit(which Ladybug preferred not to observe at the moment). "It seems Abel has already gotten your friend. I'll capture you both once you're down.", he responds. Gripping the previously used table, he hurled it at the spotted hero. Ladybug's eyes widen as she avoids it in mid air. Tigre seemed to pay no attention to the situation, only proceeding to grapple with the remaining men.

"You okay, Tigre?!", Ladybug yelled impatiently. The boy didn't answer, instead slamming a limp body onto a table, smashing it on impact. The question didn't even register into his brain. Ladybug grit her teeth and flung her Yo-Yo past Jak, once again lassoing in a stray table and chair. Jak tanked the hit, grabbing the spotted heroin before throwing her across the room.

She landed gracefully once again. "You can't win, Ladybug. Abel seems to have already 'taken' your friend.", he taunts. Too frustrated to respond, she continuously hurls tables at Jak, who carelessly swats them put of the way, while strolling up to her location. She needed an idea.

"LUCKY CHARM!", she shouts, blinding lights surrounding her. The object popped from the air, dropping into her hand. "Gorilla Tape?", she asked herself. Her eyes darted around the room. Several objects lit up in said order: One of Jak's men, Tigre Blanc, Jak, and finally the tape again. "I've got it!" she confirms. Grasping the tape, she made a beeline for the quickly shrinking group, grabbing one of the men.

He thrashed against her grasp, but Ladybug managed to hold him still. She couldn't do it for long, since the man was thrashing pretty hard, and Jak was ready to approach her. Tigre Blanc smears the blood off of his Katana, until a whistle catches his attention. In a blind fury, he spots the last man. Gripping the handle tight with rage, he flings the sword at the opponent, flying fast.

Ladybug barely shoves the man out of the way(who then passed out from adrenaline), before snatching the blade from the air. Tigre blinked in confusion, the red tint in his eyes not fading. Jak swung a right hook at the girl, in which Ladybug whipped out the tape and stretched out a strip. Dodging the attack, she attaches it to Jak's fist, wrapping it around his forearm. Ladybug narrowly avoids another hit, flipping over his shoulder, tying the tape around him once again.

"What are you doing?!", Jak growled. Ladybug leaps up and kicks him in the back of the head. "Putting you in a sticky situation!", Ladybug responded. Jak continuously swung his fists, which Ladybug easily dodged, only swinging maneuvering around his body, trapping him with the powerful tape. Finally, his arms and legs were suspended, with Ladybug cocooning him in the substance. Jak squirmed against the defenses, to know avail.

Jak tripped and collided with a support beam, becoming more stuck them ever. He screamed in anger, which was muffled by the tape over his mouth. Ladybug grabbed a chair and smashed it over Jak's skull, finally knocking the man out. "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!", she yelled, tossing her magic Yo-Yo into the air.

The Ladybug's swooped around the damages, cleaning them up. To her surprise, the Ladybug's restored the men to life, only they were definitely unconscious. Tigre's reddened pupils returned to normal, and he stood there in confusion. "What happened?", he asked. Ladybug watched in shock, trying to form a response.

"I'll take your silence as a 'You murdered these men because you lost control again, Tigre.'", he said. Ladybug took a deep breath and plopped onto the floor, burying her face in her hands. "I...s-saw them die. It was barbaric.", she stammered. Tigre was overwhelmed by guilt. "Shit, I didn't MEAN too. When I was taken over by this...rage, murdering just seemed like the right thing to do.", he responded, horrified by his actions.

"You've got some explaining to do.", she said sternly. Tigre Blanc nodded, still ashamed of his actions. "So...don't you want to know what I saw in that secret room?", he asks softly. Ladybug's anger and fear faded, curiosity overpowering the two.

They arrived at the forgotten staircase, sneaking down the dusty stone stairs. What Ladybug saw took her aback. It was a completely new room. What was strange about it was that candles lit up the darkened area, revealing mysterious scarlet symbols engraved on the walls. It looked as it had been set up by several people, a cult of some sort. Spare red robes sat in a corner, similar to Abel and Jak's.

Tigre removed a curtain, which hid a large map of Paris. Various red lines stretched across it, pins holding them in place, with foreign language blurbs near every pin. "It's like they're...marking locations.", Tigre observes. Ladybug looks closely at each one, spotting one particular word in each blurb: _Guardian_.

"I think I know what they're looking for.", Ladybug whispered nervously. "We should take a picture of all this." Ladybug lifts her Yo-Yo and clicks a few buttons, snapping a picture of the objects. "Do you know of this 'Guardian'?", Tigre asks, almost suspiciously.

"We'll both explain things later. For now, we need to go.", Ladybug declared. Taking one last look at the evidence, they exited the room. Almost on cue, the candles immediately burned out.

Tigre prepares to leave, until a faint beeping sound causes his "ears" to perk up. Jak was still out cold; just as well. Ladybug saw Tigre halt, so she followed the source of interest. Tigre slipped his hand through slips in the tape, sticking it in a small pocket on Jak's robe. There was something in it, a device of some sort.

"What's that?", Ladybug asked. Tigre examined the beeping gadget. It had a blue background, with the red words on the screen reading: TRACKING LOCATION. "Jak must be using this device to track Abel's location. I guess even HE doesn't know where he is.", Tigre observed.

"It seems to be taking a while to respond."

"It'll react once Abel contacts it. He may have magic trinkets, but even he could use technology every once in a while.", Tigre proposes. He outstretches his hand, signaling Ladybug to take it; in which she obliges. "Keep an eye on that, once it has any kind of reaction, we find Abel.", he declares.

"Got it. Now...we should probably leave before the Police find us.", Ladybug reminds. Tigre Blanc snaps in remembrance. "Good idea. Let's get you home." The heroes daintily leave the building, ignoring the unconscious bodies and property damage. Larry then enters the deserted dance floor. His eyes widened in shock, before he frowns in annoyance. "I don't even work here.", he grumbles, grabbing a broom.

…

"Shit!", Abel yells. Gabriel had the decency to invite Abel into his office, which had a LOT of pictures of his model son. Luckily, it wasn't cold, and butterflies didn't pester you every two seconds.. Abel slams the desk with his fist out of pure anger. Gabriel had been standing near, observing his tantrum.

"What happened now?", Gabriel asked unamusingly. Abel grabs the familiar container, the clear contacting liquid, but halts. "Somethings not right. I contacted Jak repeatedly. He didn't respond. The heroes got to Jak. They invaded his building and defeated his men, while stealing the one device he can contact me with.", he hisses. Gabriel's eyebrows knit together as he slams his hand on the desk.

"Enough is enough! You've kept enough secrets from me, now explain yourself.", he snaps. Abel stands up to meet his partner's eyes. "_Don't take that tone with me, Agreste._", he growls. Both men stared each other down...until they realized it was stupid so they awkwardly stopped. "But I suppose it's your time to know.", Abel admits.

Now they were getting somewhere. Abel stands up and motions Gabriel to sit down. "This is a complicated story, so try to stay with me.", Abel warns. Gabriel doesn't answer, only caring for his explanation.

**...INTENSE FLASHBACKY KNOWLEDGE MOMENT...**

_"Alright, here it is. I'm sure you've heard of the guardians."_

**"You know of there location?! Where are they-"**

_"Quiet. Since the beginning of time, the guardians have guarded and used Miraculouses to fight off enemies, teaching others to follow in their footsteps...U would know; I used to be a Guardian.", Abel reveals._

Gabriel opens his mouth to protest, only for Abel to cover it. _"I'm sure you know of Master Fu. I've been watching you for a while. He used to be my dearest friend. My, we'd had fun growing up together. We both learned of Miraculous history, each of us gaining knowledge to help us on our journeys to become official guardians.", Abel begins._

Gabriel removes the hand off his mouth. **"Then what caused you to end up as a villain?", **he grills. Abel grins, basking in the memory of his origin. "When we upgraded in rank, I started learning of the darker side in our history. While Miraculouses were extraordinary on their own, the world was full of magical items, mostly used for evil. Slowly, I started obsessing over these items, as well as their wicked uses. Eventually, I figured out how powerful I could become if I obtained these items, as well as the Miraculouses."

**"Yes, if Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculoses were somehow merged, a wish could be granted.**", Gabriel added.

_"Yes, I'm aware of that._", Abel said harshly. _"But so much more could be done with this knowledge. I managed to track down locations of these items, so I betrayed Master Fu and attempted to steal the Miracle Box, to fully put my plan into motion. Fu stopped me; only for the clash to end in a draw. We were still young, and he made the mistake of sparing me, to the point where I managed to start a fire, destroying the temple entirely.", Abel continues._

Abel lifts his Amulet. _"I am two-hundred years old; just a few years older than Master Fu. Throughout the years, I have built my knowledge and power to the point where I was a legitimate threat to future Miraculous users. I even managed to recruit several stranded soon to be allies and create a clan of my own. All the guardians were dead, and I haven't seen a Miraculous user in years. Until I traced Master Fu to Paris, in which your Ladybug and Cat Noir were here. Then I tracked you down, knowing you were powerful enough to assist me._", Abel concludes.

**...END OF FLASHBACKY KNOWLEDGE MOMENT…**

"That was certainly long winded.", Gabriel comments. Abel squints and whips out a symboled dagger, which he toys with. "Wait, if you are able to contact and watch people, why don't you know Ladybug or Cat Noir's identities? Or there location? And what about Master Fu?", Gabriel frantically questions.

Abel holds up his hands. "Hey, the trinkets have flaws. With the exception of Jak, using the liquid tells me WHO they are, but not WHERE they are.", Abel explains.

Gabriel shows a confused blink. "Why can't you just tell me their identities?" Abel grimaces and sticks the dagger in the wall. "Please, you're not capable enough to know such knowledge. You've been fighting the heroes for almost a year already, and you haven't done anything to prove your capabilities.", Abel countered.

"Whatever. Now, take your Dagger out of my wall."

Abel plucks the blade from the wall, leaving a small hole. "Get your maid to fix that.", Abel says smugly, leaving the room. Gabriel sneers as Nathalie appears. "I don't trust him.", she says dryly. Gabriel places a hand on her shoulder. "It's temporary, Nathalie. But for now, I suggest we follow his orders. He has useful knowledge and resources needed to defeat the heroes, and find the guardian.", he assures. Nathalie and Gabriel glance at the damaged and frown.

"Abel is repairing that."

"Agreed."

**A/N: Damn these chapters, I have a problem with chapter length. On a side note, things were revealed of Abel's past. I was gonna squeeze in Tigre and Marinette's conversation(and an extra Adrien scene) but I figured it would be a pain to include, plus I think you've all waited long enough for this chapter to be released. **

**Until the next chapter…**

**Man I gotta stop ending with that line.**


	7. Chapter 7: Rising Stakes

**A/N: Hey, sorry for the wait. I've been busy with school and man, it's stressful. Anyway, Chapter 7. Now that I got Abel's explanation out of the way, it's time to move the story along to higher points. But first, let's respond to a review or two.**

**Chat and Ladybug: AHA! Someone **_**did **_**get the reference. Although I'd like to clear up that Bridgette is not in this story, nor Felix. That was just a little wink to the audience; since none of the heroes actually know of Bridgette or Felix. However, a Felix reference **_**will **_**come eventually.**

**Okay, I'll shut up now.**

Adrien smashed his fist into the hardened plaster of a wall, pain soon overpowering rage within a matter of seconds. As he clenched his reddened fist, he glared daggers at the article on his phone that he'd been reading.

**WAREHOUSE BREAK-IN - WHO'S RESPONSIBLE WILL SURPRISE YOU!**

After a long read, Adrien had "deduced" that Tigre Blanc as responsible. And, to his dismay, Ladybug must have been involved as well. They had kept him out of an important case, since sightings suggest series supernatural activity. A warehouse was tampered with, which ended in two beams emerging from it, followed by the warehouse seemingly vanishing.

This pissed Adrien off. Him and Ladybug have been partners for months, always using teamwork to take down villains. His insane crush on the Spotted heroine was also a factor. Then this mysterious Tigre Blanc guy starts barging in, stealing Ladybug, and dragging her on odd suicide missions. Geez, it was like some asshole was writing these events like a story.

Meanwhile Plagg was in his own world: standing on the remote and tapping buttons with his feet. _Channel surfing_, if you will. "Plagg, you won't believe what I found here!", he exclaims. Plagg groans and pops a hunk of Camembert into his face hole. "I know what happened. You've been angrily reading out loud for the entire article.", Plagg responded boredly.

"Good, so you know how much of an issue Tigre Blanc is.", Adrien says. Plagg clicks the TV off and flies onto the bed. "Yes, I do. If you really want to stop the guy, then you need to take action.", Plagg confirms. Adrien liked the thought, but it wouldn't be easy.

"Where do I even start with this?", Adrien questioned hopelessly. A lightbulb went above Plagg's head. "Start with Master Fu, I suppose. He'd be bound to know what's going on better than others.", Plagg suggested with another mouthful of cheese. "Hm. I'll get to it.", Adrien concluded. He held his fist at bay.

"PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!"

…

Paris at night was gorgeous. The way the Eiffel Tower practically became a beacon of light took people's breath away. Unfortunately, you tend to forget the view once your shady partner is wearing a blood covered Tiger Suit, and could turn feral at any moment.

The familiar trapdoor roof of Marinette's home is what the duo landed on; just like all the other interactions. The silence that followed was brutal. Tigre awkwardly sat upon the railing, not knowing how or when to communicate properly. "...Got some questions about the suit, Tigre.", Ladybug reminded dryly.

"Alright, fine. Ask the questions and I'll answer.", Tigre replied, wiping off congealed blood on his weapon. Ladybug was surprised by how well she took in the situation back in the Nightclub. Most of the men were slaughtered in gruesome fashion, yet she wasn't exactly traumatized. She still wasn't sure if that made the situation better or worse.

"First Question. Why did you kill those men?", she started. Tigre frowned, since this question wasn't easy to answer. "Probably Abel's work. Whenever it comes, I feel intense rage coursing through me, until it practically seems _right _to kill.", he blurted out.

"When did this...Rage first appear?"

"That night with the bandits. I didn't feel it coming, but I had already brutalized and murdered most of them before I got a what I was doing. It seems that I'm going in a pattern with the rage's effects", he explains. The spotted heroine nodded softly, taking it all in. "The rage is inconsistent.", she guesses.

Tigre retracted his claws. "And the headaches before it; they come and go with each time. Sometimes I feel it, sometimes it happens automatically. But that's not the scary part.", he growls, scraping the railing.

"And what is?"

"The fact that I started to enjoy it a little. Forgot to add that voices ring in my ears each time the rage kicks in.", he reveals, lost in his own thoughts. He then begins dragging his sharp claws along his Katana, barely leaving scratches and creating a noise that made Ladybug cover her ears.

"They say things like: 'Kill him Tigre'. 'He doesn't deserve to live, Tigre'. 'Fulfill your destiny, Tigre'. And half the time, they aren't even voices. They're just blood curdling screams of death in my ears.", he hisses, raising his voice a bit.

Ladybug was deeply disturbed, cringing at the thought of those experiences. "That's horrible.", she says softly, not able to squeeze out any other words. Tigre shrugs it off, to Ladybug's surprise. "There's a cure, I know it. And if not...well… my life right now is meaningless anyway."

Ladybug gawked at the anti-hero's edgy statement, although it wasn't intended to be.. "What?! Life is _not _meaningless!", she exclaimed. Tigre ignored the rebuttal, Marinette pursed her lips, pondering a way to convince him. "Your powers could help a lot of people.", she finally stated.

"I need to be able to properly _control _my powers to use them for good; and not just for hurting people", he replied matter of factly. Ladybug pondered for a counter, but ultimately sighed, defeated. "Well...at least think of _something _to be positive about.", she finally said.

Tigre Blanc ponders, before taking out the beepy device. "Once this thing stops beeping, Abel will contact it and his location will be revealed.", he observed. Ladybug's face lit up.

"So that means we can take a break from this case."

"Now you're catching on." Tigre stood up and cleared his throat. "I've been really dramatic these past few days. Maybe if I don't think about Abel, the rage won't be as frequent.", he perceives. And then when he contacts it, we have is location."

"Or he'll be desperate enough to show up in person!", Ladybug exclaims with a grin. Things were finally working in their favor. Ladybug blinked twice, one question still in the back of her head. "What will you be doing now that the case is on hold?", she inquired. "Will the 'dramatic' Tigre Blanc take time to loosen up?", she ribbed.

Tigre Blanc takes this to thought. "...Do I have to start making Cat puns?", he questioned playfully. Ladybug giggled, but then thought of her partner. Her _real _partner. Tigre Blanc's eyes followed her expression. "And what of Cat Noir?", she asked softly. Tigre Blanc sighed, a tad guilty for Cat Noir's exclusion.

"Cat Noir is...capable. But he lets his emotions get in the way of saving innocents. He's not exactly a fan of mine, and I don't blame him. But keeping him out of the investigation is the safer thing to do. Under current circumstances, we could never work together. " he explains. Ladybug frowned.

"He's a good guy, you know. Even if your experiences weren't the greatest, she points out. Tigre shrugs, partially agreeing with her. "Maybe...we can give him another shot.", he finally admits. "After all, the kid adores you. And I'd hate for him to feel betrayed. Betrayal is the worst thing a person can experience under these circumstances."

Hanging on his words, she patted him utop the shoulder (despite the splash of dried blood on it.) before lifting her trapdoor and slipping inside. A bright flash came from the hole, indicating her de-transformation.

"Who knows? We might even become good friends.", Marinette suggests, her voice slightly less audible. A small smirk appears on the boy's face. "Yeah...maybe.", he mumbled, before taking his usual exit. Marinette shut the trapdoor and sat utop her bed, clicking on her phone and surfing the internet.

Tikki inched her way up on her master's shoulder, before gasping so hard that she fell off it. "Oh, Tikki. Are you alright?", Marinette asked. Tikki's eyes were widened. "This isn't good.", she said with a concerned voice.

Knowing that Marinette was clueless to the issue, Tikki placed her hands on Marinette's face and turned it, directing her too a disturbing post. Marinette gasped. It was an article about the warehouse incident.

"This isn't good!", Marinette exclaimed. "We're _so _going to get caught!" Tikki wasn't exactly calming her down either. "And what about Cat Noir? He's probably read this already!", she squeaked. Knowing Cat Noir, he wouldn't take kindly to any of this information.

"Maybe...he..._didn't _read it?", Marinette suggested hopelessly. "If not, I can let him in on this issue easily. Maybe he won't be angry.", she declared optimistically. Unfortunately, he definitely _would _be angry. And when Cat Noir is angry, he takes drastic measures.

…

Coffee. The nectar of maintainability, as many wise men should've come up with. Gabriel had finished his second pot. Abel hasn't helped measures by putting crazy thoughts into his noggin. He had a lot to think about. Specifically his beloved wife. Abel had promised to bring her back a few days ago, but what if it was a false promise? Gabriel tensed up at the thought.

He trudged through his office, cutting a corner as he entered the main room. He clicked the painting, descending himself two floors into the lowest, and arguably the most important room of the Mansion. Emilie Agreste's body rested in a padded white coffin, which sat near a long metallic bridge. Abel was there two, examining the woman. Gabriel sped up his footsteps and stood next to Abel.

"Did you figure out a way to bring her back?", Gabriel grilled professionally. Abel squinted at the body with his scarlet eyes. "I thought I told you that comes _after _we win.", he replied harshly. "Besides, I'm busy concocting a new item. Something that will change everything."

"Oh really? What makes it more important than Emilie?", Gabriel hissed. Abel ignored him and pulled out an empty vial. "It's useful when it needs to be. I'll save it as a surprise.", he responds. Gabriel couldn't ignore this. "Are we not partners?", the man snapped. Abel whipped around. "I've had many partners, Gabriel.", Abel said condescendingly. "The thing is, priorities have changed. Hell, maybe I won't even need you if my knowledge grows high enough "

Gabriel glared at him. "You'll be making a big mistake if you do.", he warned, his blood boiling. Abel flashed a toothy grin, his eyes squinting against his crimson pupils. "Your threats are pathetic, Agreste; I do what I please. You haven't seen my full capabilities, but if you dare step out of line...well...then I won't hesitate from hurting your son.", he responds, almost amused. Gabriel was too angry and surprised to speak, heeding Abel's warning.

Abel tucks the vial back into his coat and trots on out of there. To be frank, he cared little of Gabriel's petty issues. As long as he got the long end of the stick, all was satisfied. After all, he couldn't be Gabriel's crutch forever. Abel mosied on diggity...up the elevator, not noticing Nathalie glaring from a distance. She didn't trust Abel. Luckily, her and Gabriel's plan could soon be put into motion.

…

_"Claws in."_, Cat Noir whispered. The bright light engulfed him, transforming him back to his natural alter ego. The model casually strolled to the door, opening the first and knocking lightly on the second. He waited a second, before gripping the doorknob and turning it softly, pushing it open. Inside the building sat Master Fu, meditating soundly.

"Hello, Cat Noir.", the old man greeted, his eyes fluttering open. Wayzz flew upwards in a loop to join the situation. Adrien cleared his throat as Plagg and Wayzz flew to each other and chatted amongst themselves. "Hello, Master Fu. I've come to ask about a serious situation.", he began.

"Hm. I'm guessing this is of that new hero. His sightings were on the News.", he guessed. Adrien was astonished on how quickly he figured it out. "Uh, yeah. Something about him seems rather suspicious. He claimed that he didn't get his Miraculous from you. He also said it was from some guy named Abel. ", he explained. Master Fu pondered.

"There's a lot of history with me and Abel. We were once friends, but he took a darker path. Said he needed to fulfill a deeper purpose. Around that time, he mentioned forging Miraculouses, cursing them with his trinkets.", he explained.

Adrien squinted. "Cursed? Tigre Bla-, er...the new hero has had these little fazes where he'd completely destroy an enemy; his pupils were red too." Master Fu's eyes widened. He stood up, reached into a drawer, and pulled out a slip of old looking paper. It had foreign sentences and symbols on it, one looking oddly familiar. "I saved this page from an ancient book of the Miraculouses. I believe it will help you.", he says, wobbling on his cane.

Adrien knelt down to the shorter man and retrieved the sheet. He couldn't read it, of course. But something about that symbol didn't seem right. "I'm not native to the written language, so I can't seem to figure out what this page is trying to say. But don't worry, I managed to translate a few words.", Master Fu spoke. Adrien flipped the page over, and several english words were written in ink.

Adrien lowered his head as he scanned the paper. "Something about a Prophecy.", Adrien muttered. But what for? And a...sacrifice?" Master Fu nodded indefinitely. "I couldn't figure that out. Maybe Ladybug would know.", the old man suggested. Adrien pursed his lips and stood up, motioning Plagg to come over. He then pulled out his phone and took a small picture of the page. Thanks anyway, Master Fu. I'll let you know if I find anything." the boy said, waving goodbye.

Master Fu smiled and nodded a the model exited. Wanting to give this case another shot, he grabbed the page once more. He squinted, turning the page over a few times before one foreign word was practically clear. Another translation. _Enigma, _it read, next to the surrounding symbols.

…

Tigre Blanc grumbled as he brushed the dried blood off his fur suit. Blood never came off easily, since detergent wasn't exactly a priority, unless it was stolen. Looking back, leaving home was the dumbest decision made, he frequently pondered. No warm house to go to, no home cooked meals, and no one to comfort you in the darkest of times.

Tigre flipped his hood up, finding comfort from usual recharges on metal roofs. Things had changed since he became a "hero". It wasn't all black coffee and Dark Heroism**(haha)**. No, no: life used to be so good. A consistent group of friends, good grades, and a loving family. Purchasing the Miraculous changed the kid behind the suit, making him the man he was today.

The boy massaged his tired eyes. Sleep nor tears could come if he tried. It was like the suit sucked what little humanity he had left, or at least buried it beyond access. Of course, hygiene was never an issue; like the suit paused his bodily state since he put it on, so cleanliness was practically infinite. Still, showers were missed.

As of now, Ladybug was all he had. Tigre wasn't great at first impressions, but business can create allies. Tigre always wondered what would happen after Abel is down. What next? Would he be fixed? Or would he go back to his miserable and current lifestyle? Each one of these thoughts was cut off by the one thing he did know.

_It sucks to be Tigre Blanc._

**A/N: Hey, uh...sorry for the wait again. I've been spending more and more time on these chapters to fully polish them before they're sent, and I hate to disappoint. And the whole thing about school certainly isn't helping matters. But don't worry, this story WILL end eventually. I'll try to make the next chapter come quicker, and it'll hopefully be longer than this one, since I struggled to write more than 2000 words with this one.**

**And yes, this chapter opens up a lot of questions, and I assure you they will be answered in time. **

**Got any thoughts, suggestions, or requests? Be sure to type one down below.**

**Until the Next Chapter...**


	8. Author's Note

**A/N: Hey guys. Just wanted to check up on y'all to see how you're liking the story. While I haven't encountered writer's block yet, I feel like my story is taking too long to update sometimes. I'm trying to move the story along in a careful fashion, so it'll be at acceptable enough quality for you all to read and hopefully enjoy. I'd also like to sincerely ask on how you're liking the story. I've been thinking lately that my vocabulary and plots are rather repetitive, and all I want to do is improve. **

**And this may seem petty, but I do encourage you to write reviews. That way, I not only take in constructive criticism, but I'll be content knowing that people care enough to read by story. Trust me, it really helps. Thanks for your time, and I hope to update sooner.**


	9. Chapter 8: The Road to Crisis

**A/N: Greetings, my fellow oxygen breathing organisms. I finished watching a few of the newer Miraculous episodes and I gotta say; Miraculous just got more interesting. Didn't know the writers had it in them. So this chapter will be switching the roles a bit: with Cat Noir doing the investigation stuff while Ladybug and Tigre lead a calmer arc. Now I'll just say that this'll be a difficult chapter to write, since I fed off of Tigre and Ladybug to move the story along, and narrowing it down to Cat Noir will not be easy. But I'll try.**

**You may proceed. **

"You want me to do what?", Gabriel repeated. Nathalie cleared her throat, filtering her response to dodge the man's wrath. "I believe-", she starts. "I believe that you should break off your partnership with Abel.", she blurts out. Gabriel's eyebrows raise. It was one thing to doubt his motives, but it was another to do it in his own office.

"Why is that? Abel holds great knowledge that could be vital in defeating the heroes."

"Yes, Mr. Agreste. But I feel that Abel may have ulterior motives. You saw how he responded to your side of the deal. What if he considered betrayal?", Nathalie asks, barely maintaining her stoic tone of voice. Gabriel shakes his head. "Abel wouldn't be dumb enough to try anything. We have nothing to worry about.", he replies, turning around and exiting, only halted by a gentle grasp on his shoulder.

"Let's keep in touch...just in case.", Nathalie declares, holding a small listening device. A small smirk curled up on the side of Gabriel's face as they both placed the devices in their ears. Around the far corner, Abel watched through narrowed and confused eyes, before yanking out a vial and shaking it, the tonic inside of it morphing into a purple tint. The man grinned wolfishly at his latest item.

_"This will change everything"_, Abel hissed to himself.

Marinette sat alone on her balcony, her phone in one hand and a sketchpad in her other. The girl doodled away on the thin sheet of paper, glancing at her phone screen every once in a while, only to continue sketching. On her paper sat a well drawn dress design, near scribbled notes that analyzed it's contents. Her Kwami watched over her shoulder.

"Hm. Hey Tikki, should I add ruffles or wait to make more adjustments on the blouse?", she asked, lightly chewing the eraser in thought. Tikki smiled and pat Marinette on the back with her tiny hand. "Don't worry, Marinette. No matter what you choose, I'm sure it'll be great!", Tikki replied supportively. Marinette smiled and continued the design, only for a voice to startle her.

"Whatcha doing?"

Marinette screeched and leapt back, breathing a sigh of relief once she saw who it was. "Oh, hello, Tigre.", she greeted. Tigre Blanc held a significantly larger cup of coffee than the last time, sipped it delicately and sat cross legged on her roof. "Just wanted to see what you were up to. Has that little device thing moved at all?", the boy asked.

Marinette shook her head. "It's like it was a trick. Maybe Abe**l **_wanted _us to keep it, so he'd have a chance to come up with some other scheme to catch us off guard.", she replied. Tigre nodded, and a small bit of silence ensured. Marinette then decided to break it. "Do you ever get tired of this?", she blurts out. Tigre tilted his head sideways after another swig of coffee.

"What do you mean?"

"You know; always talking about Abel, dedicating every bit of time you spend to think about him. Do you ever get tired of that?", she continues curiously. Tigre pursed his lips and set the coffee aside. "I can't really think of anything else to do. Come to think of it, I don't remember much of my activities before I put this suit on. It's like the suit is wiping away any humanity I have left.", he responds, almost too quickly.

"No no no.", Marinette cut in. "You shouldn't have to suffer through all of this and not even have anything good to remember. You know what?. I'm going to help you regain any experiences you lost before this curse. We won't stop until you have at least a _little _bit of fun.", she says sternly. Tigre hung on each word, his eyes widened slightly. "Damn.", he comments in between his last sip of his drink. "You're scary when you're stern." Marinette smiles warmly.

"Hey, I'm passionate about helping others.", she replied with a shrug, motioning him to come inside. "And...you're already starting to grow on me", he confirms. "So, where do we start?"

Gabriel sighs deeply and weakly grips the doorknob of his son's room. With everything that was going on, he had to make sure his son stayed out of it. The man hesitated, contemplating sliding his fingers away and forgetting about the consequences. He had been hesitating for god knows how long. After Emilie, he couldn't dare risk his son's life on this twisted little game he was tangled in. He had to keep his son safe.

But if he knew nothing, would that really be saving him? These thoughts clouded Gabriel's head, but he could never agree with them. Sometimes, he had to rely on Instinct. Gabriel's hand clamped down on the knob, turning it quickly and pushing it open. Adrien sat up from his bed and glanced towards his father, slight confusion in his eyes.

The older man balled his left hand into a fist. He had to tell him the truth this time. Maybe if he knew, this mess would be easier to clean up. "Adrien…", Gabriel began, his voice trailing off immediately. The model shifted uncomfortably. "Yes, father?", he asks. Gabriel couldn't put it into words. Maybe he wasn't making the right choice. But then again…yeah, no.

"I...uh...love you, Adrien." he blurts out. Adrien's eyes widened in utter surprise at his words, but his face soon shifted into concern. "I love you too, Father.", he replies casually, attempting to brush him off. Gabriel exhaled deeply and darted out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He'd try again sometime...maybe. As his fist relaxed, he was cut off from his exit by a figure in the hallway. It was Abel.

"I saw your little alliance back there, Agreste. I can't believe you went behind my back to do something like that.", Abel glowered. Gabriel cursed under his breath. He needed to be more secretive with these kind of things. "I don't know what you're talking about", he lied. Abel didn't look any less pissed off.

"Don't lie to me.", Abel spat. "This is your First and only Warning. If you try anything like that again, there's no telling what I'll do. Is that clear?" Gabriel grit his teeth yet stayed silent. Abel glared harder and left Gabriel distraught. What would Abel do if Gabriel provoked him again? Only time would tell; which, frankly...doesn't look so good right now.

…

"Ever played a Video Game, Tigre?", Marinette asks with a small smirk. The two sat upon Marinette's bright pink couch; luckily alerting no one since her parents weren't home. Tigre stared at the device held in front of him. Taking it into his gloved hand, he examined it in utter confusion. "It looks...familiar. Care to walk me through this?", he asks.

The girl reaches forward and clicks the TV on. The screen immediately brandishes a Loading screen with bright red letters. Marinette then hands Tigre the controller and leans back against the plush cushions.

"Right, is this it?", Tigre questions, completely lost. "Okay, uh...how do make it go?". Marinette points to a tiny button on the top of the controller. "Just press that button.", she instructs. Tigre obeys, and the screen illuminates into a colorful starting screen.

"Ultimate Megastrike?", he read. "What kind of a name is that?" Marinette playfully shoved him. "Hey, it's a good game.", she protests, grabbing a spare controller and flicking it on. On cue, a character select screen came up; which was accompanied by an array of colorful robots. "Is this the game?", Tigre asks foolishly.

Marinette smiled at his question, giving him a pass due to his predicament. "Alright, so we're going to play together. Here, you have to select your character.", she explains. Tigre clutches the controller between his gloved hands and browsed the selection. He settled on a jet black robot with a pyramid head. Meanwhile, Marinette took the stereotypical approach and chose an oval headed red robot with convenient black spots.

"Knew you'd choose that one.", Tigre comments as the game starts up. The robots faced each other as the game commanded them to fight. If Tigre didn't look lost before, he sure as hell was now. He blindly fumbled with whatever buttons were present; causing his character to spasm out of control. The girl held back a giggle and moved her character forward. With a few taps of the buttons, her avatar pummeled Tigre's enough to lower half his health bar.

"Aw, c'mon. Fight back.", Marinette comments; half playfully, half impatiently. "Hey, I don't remember a thing about this game", Tigre replies. "Besides, I couldn't land a hit on you if I wanted too-"

The pyramid headed robot collapsed as the Ladybug themed one raised a fist in victory. A short lived victory, since round two had just started.

"This is hopeless. I can't remember myself if I can't even remember how to play."

Marinette glances at the teen and puts her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, ease up. It'll be impossible to get what you want if you need if you're not enjoying it.", she advises. Tigre looks up at the screen and ponders her words. Their robots clash once more, but this time Tigre wasn't aggressively button mashing. The match eased up a little. It was then that Tigre's eyes widened slightly.

His fingers coordinated his robot flawlessly, landing swift combos and proving a match for Marinette; who was surprised as first. A determined smirk sat on her face as she finally got a challenge. It was close, but Marinette came on top once more, winning the match. "Yes!" Marinette exclaims, pumping her fist. Tigre was surprised to see how close it was, and he began clapping for Marinette's victory.

"Good job, Spots"

"You weren't so bad yourself. If things were different, you could've been a champion.", she muses. That last word made Tigre gasp. He grabbed his skull and shut his eyes. Marinette's smile disappears and a concerned expression sets upon her face. "Tigre...are you-"

The girl didn't get to finish her sentence, since Tigre immediately stopped his actions and opened his eyes. "That word. It triggered something.", he reveals. "There's something I remember." Marinette flicks the TV off and sits down curiously.

"What did you remember?", she asks. Tigre visibly struggles to process his memory. "Someone used to call me that. A person who was close to me.", he replies in a daze. "No, more than one person. It was practically a nickname." Marinette sits forward in curiosity. Tigre's eyes shoot open. "I was called that at school! Shit, I remember where I went to school!"

"Would going there help jog your memory?", the girl inquires. Tigre nods and stands up. "Yeah. Tag along if you like. We are a team now, after all.", he states, walking upstairs. Marinette didn't quite know how this would end, but for the time being, it has nowhere to go but up.

…

Cat Noir's legs ached from bounding across rooftops, yet sheer determination kept him going. It had been a lengthy run to get to the other side of the city. Luckily it was broad daylight. He finally skidded to a stop, and lowered himself onto one knee. Across from him was a nightclub with bright yellow Police tape looped around every angle of the building. Several Police cars were perched at the crime scene, yet only three Policemen were examining it. Cat Noir flipped the phone feature into his staff, glancing at the screen and the Nightclub.

"This is the place.", he murmurs, hopping down and calmly walking towards the policemen They manage to immediately pick up the footsteps and turn to face him. "Hello, officers.", he greets. "Mind if I take a look in here?" The cops exchanged glances with each other. "Kid, this is a crime scene. And who are you anyway?" Adrien wasn't expecting that.

"Um, I'm Cat Noir. Y'know, one of Paris's defenders. Ladybug is my...sidekick.", he replies. The cops glance at each other and back at Cat Noir. "He's gone mad. Kid, you're coming with us.", one of the men declares. They crowd around him, in which Cat Noir backflips onto a streetlight. "Whoa, hold on! I'm a superhero, what's with you?", he exclaims.

The police halt and reach into their pockets; the remaining reaching into their uniforms. Cat Noir's eyes widened in horror at the implication. He retracted his staff and swung it into one of the Policemen, knocking him onto his side. Before the others could react, Cat Noir shortened the weapon and chucked it at the other officer's temple.

He leapt down and landed directly onto the second one, all while retrieving his tool and backtracking away. All cops were knocked out cold; luckily everyone was indoors for some reason. "Everyone's so weird these days", he mutters, strolling into the establishment.

And charm the Nightclub used to have was stretched thin; as if nightclubs ever _had _charm. Walls were smashed, lights dimmed, and tables scattered every which way around the large room. Adrien glanced around the room for anything he could use, until something caught his eye. There was a lit candle in the far corner of the room; beckoning anyone to enter the poorly hidden door behind it. Cat Noir used his staff to propel himself into that corner and reluctantly entered the opening.

The room was more of a corridor. It had a metallic scent in a fairly humid hall. Worn down candles lit the room, and red smears were on the walls, as if something had been erased from it. Cat Noir had a bad feeling about this, so he gripped his staff and tensely continued on.

He made it to a smaller room with one last hallway attached to it. "What the hell…", he mutters as he stares at what he saw. A large map of Paris sat on a wall, surrounded by several mysterious symbols on the wall. Pins attached to yarn were stuck to the map. Adrien leaned in closer and ripped the map off the wall.

He flipped it over, and writing was on the back. Cat Noir tilted a head at the sentence. "Shipment Routes?", he read, before snapping a photo and discarding it. Cat Noir heard a faint noise that almost sounded human, coming from the hallway nearby.

The hero raced down the narrow corridor and came across the final room. It had no windows or doors, just a stretched room of prison cells. A muffled voice was or practically screaming. Cat Noir lowered his eyes and found a hogtied person with a bag over their head, squirming and attempting to talk.

Adrien gasped and removed the bag and the knots on the person's wrists. The victim rose above and lifted their head. It was a man, with a beaten down face in a...falcon costume?

"W-Who are you? You have to help me!", the man cried. Cat Noir backed away and put up his hands. "Whoa, hold on! What happened to you?!", the concerned hero questioned. The falcon man attempted to stand, collapse onto his knees. "A man sold me a Miraculous...I put it on...and I couldn't take it off. I came here to confront him, but he drugged me and sent me here.", the quivering boy explains.

"Oh, shit. I may know who you're talking about.", Cat Noir responds. "Did he say anything that could be of use?". The boy shook his head, but pulled out a slip of paper. "But I stole this from him. I don't think he noticed.", he replies weakly. Cat Noir grabs the slip and opens up a container in his staff, storing the slip inside if it. "Thanks. I'll call an ambulance.", Cat Noir says, turning to leave.

The man attempts to reply, but instead slumps back down due to sheer exhaustion and relief.

Cat Noir exits the building and removes the slip of paper, squinting at the foreign language. "Better take this back to Master Fu.", he notes, before stopping dead in his tracks. He flips open the picture feature on his staff and examines the previous one. Suddenly, the victim and the map came together. If there was another person with a cursed miraculous, and a map marking several spots, that could only mean…

Abel was selling his Miraculouses.

…

Not noticing Cat Noir leaping in the distance, Tigre Blanc and Ladybug stop at a large school with a wide set of stairs. It wasn't as glamorous as Marinette's school" but didn't look horrible. Ladybug's eyes darted around the area.

"Why is no one outside in this neighborhood?", she pondered. Tigre Blanc also rotates his gaze around his surroundings. "No clue.", he replies. "Must be a good reason, because I remember this place used to be quite popular."

"So now that we're in your neighborhood, can you try to remember anything?", she asks, as they both stroll around the outside of the building, which seemed a lot different than the front.

A large chunk of the upper half of the building was missing; and several abandoned forms of construction machinery lay still. Ladybug raised an eyebrow and approached the accident, only for her movements to turn clumsy enough to send her blindly stumbling back. Tigre caught the dazed girl by her shoulders, preventing her from falling. "Spots, you-"

Tigre's words were cut off as his gaze slowly rose. Unlike Marientte, he stood upwards. "I sense something.", he states. Ladybug was gingerly lowered onto the ground, rubbing her eyes as Tigre cautiously steps closer to the presumably dangerous zone. His head clouded more with each step, as voices filled his ears. Yet they were not the same torturous noises he has heard before: they were different. Calmer, yet sounded more manipulative than horrifying.

"It's...the rage.", he reveals. "It's not mine. Someone else has had it." Ladybug, who stayed a fair distance from the toxic area, lifted herself up nonetheless. "What?" she questions. "How is that possible?" Tigre tiredly descended to his knees, rubbing his temples before his eyes shot open; similar to his recent epiphany

"Yes, there _was _another. A person I knew. He had a Miraculous like mine.", he continues. Ladybug hung on every word, knowing for sure he was onto something. "After a while, he wasn't in control anymore. The rage, it practically...took over his mind.", he exclaims. Ladybug puts a hand over her mouth. "Do you think it would-"

"Yes.", he replies, predicting the question. If we don't find a way to end this, I'll descend into the rage...permanently."

…

Gabriel looked over his shoulder constantly. After Abel's warning, he had lost the right to feel safe in his own home. Luckily, there was always that one place he could go when he felt boxed in.

He approached the painting in his main corridor and brushed his fingers over the pressure points, sending him through a two floor descent; down into the Butterfly room. But not the _cave_ he frequently retreats into. The other room.

A long, steel platform stretched vertically, leading up to the white coffin he had visited several times. Butterflies that matched the coffin's tint fluttered around and perched on the flora that surrounded Emile's comatose body. Gabriel's pace was more urgent than previous visits as he dawned upon his wife.

"Forgive me, Emile. I have caught myself in a web of dark deeds; worse than ever before.", he confesses. "I don't know what will happen, but it will be worth it if I can see you once more." A condescending 'tisk tisk' startled the man.

"Well, isn't that sweet.", Abel smugly declares. "Now if you're done sniveling, you can listen to my plan. Akumatize the new hero. His constant rage episodes would be ideal for your abilities." Gabriel hated to admit it, but the idea sounded foolproof on paper. "Fine!", Gabriel snaps. "But once this is over, our partnership is too; whether or not your plan succeeds.", he rebukes.

What's odd was that Abel wasn't fazed. "If that's what you want.", Abel replied emotionlessly. Gabriel pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and walks past Abel; towards the elevator. Both men had different expectations, except one had a backup.

Abel had predicted that Tigre's emotions weren't raw enough to be akumatized. He had to create real anger, sadness...devastation within him. Luckily, his plan was in motion. And as for Gabriel…

Abel slipped his hands into his coat, one hand gripping the vial, the other a short dagger.

...He would be taken care of.

…

Theories shot through Cat Noir's brain during the sprint home. Sunset had arrived, but the darkest night in the world wouldn't affect him. He had taken the page to Master Fu, and it was translated. It was fairly simple for the man to decipher, but the meaning was what surprised him. He needed to-

Two voices cried out in unison, each one as startled as the other. Ladybug fell onto her rear and glanced at the obstacle. Cat Noir had run into her. "Cat. Listen, I just found something out.", she starts, struggling to catch her breath. Cat Noir didn't let her see his eyes narrow.

"Tigre and I did more investigating. His rage. You've seen it. After a while, it'll take over him. It's practically _killing _him.", she explains. Cat Noir pursed his lips and folded his arms. "That's interesting.", he jeered. "Because I did a little investigating of my own, after I wasn't included in your team."

"Cat, I...what did you find.", she asks, abandoning a sorrowful response to his words. "A found a map in that nightclub you and Tigre entered. A map of shipment routes. I also found another guy like Tigre down there. Putting two and two together led me to the thought that Abel was selling his Miraculouses." he states, sounding over-professional.

"Shit.", Ladybug cursed, at the continuous issues that entered the mission. "Did you find anything else?" Cat Noir thought about showing her the translated message, but closed his lips and shook his head. Ladybug sighed and twirled her YoYo, turning around so that her back faced him.

"Why did you shut me out of all this, Ladybug?", Cat Noir accuses. Ladybug's eyes widened at the sudden realization. "Cat, I'm sorry...but I don't have time for this.", she says coldly. She shoots her YoYo to a vantage point, and zips away in a flash. Cat Noir grits his teeth and smashes his foot onto the concrete edge of the rooftop, dismantling the chunk and sending it crashing down below.

"_We were supposed to be a team, but you betrayed me for him!", _he mutters. "_But that's okay. I'll do it myself."_ Cat Noir pulled out the slip of paper and read the message. "So the suit is part of Abel's plan?", he muses. "Can't let him use Tigre. I'll have to save Ladybug...and the city. _Cataclysm."_

His hand is then surrounded in destructive black aura. Flipping the paper around is a sketch of Tigre Blanc, his arms outstretched and legs close together. "Tigre must be...corrected.", he confirms, before crunching the drawing in his hand, disintegrating it as a grin planted itself onto his face.

**A/N: Ha! I lied. This wasn't a filler chapter at all! Anyway, sorry if this took long. Next chapter will make up for it. Got any thoughts, suggestions, or requests? Comment them down below. Reviews. keep me going. **

**Until the next chapter...**


	10. Chapter 9: Breaking Point

**A/N: Well, here it is. This is a very special chapter, and there's only one reason why. I have been waiting to write this part of the story SINCE I WAS **_**BORN**_**. And once you start reading; you'll know why. Have fun.**

A golden ray of sunshine pierced the clouds above. Tigre sat alone upon a stray rooftop, his arms curled around his knees. It had been another sleepless night. After reaching for his katana and propping it near his side, he slowly but surely lifted himself up. A dull thump caught the boy's attention, but he instead lifted his head up and didn't look for the source.

"And here I thought _I _was the stalker.", he comments, slipping his blade into his holster and turning around. "Nice to see you too.", Ladybug replies sharply, a smirk curling up the sides of her face. Tigre brushes himself off and puts his arms behind his back. "Where's your partner?", he questions. Ladybug sighed and rubbed her arm. "He's been conflicted lately."

Tigre nodded. "Yeah, some people are that way. You see, the thing about boys like me or Cat Noir is that we have clear emotional problems. It's what makes us vulnerable. Anyway, Spots. You wouldn't have come if you didn't have something important to ask."

"Actually, that was exactly why I came.",the girl admitted "But now that you mention it, I'd just like to know if you'd remembered anything else." Tigre nods, with little enthusiasm as usual. "Actually, I did. My home address. And I did a bit of thinking, and...I think I should go there. I want to see my family."

Ladybug's eyes widened at the progress made. "Great. Well, I won't stop you.", she replies, assuming he'd want to do this alone. "Actually, I need your help. I don't know if I can work up the courage to approach them.", he confesses, turning himself away from her. Ladybug replies with a warm smile and a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'll always be there for you Tigre.", she replies.

Tigre froze at the touch, slowly raising his hand to where hers was. Instantaneously, his hand clenched into a fist, before lowering it immediately. "_Thank you._", he whispers, his thoughts racing once more. It seemed like things were finally coming together.

…

The elevator carried both men below the surface, finally arriving at their destination. The glowing white butterflies welcomed their master with repeated fluttering around him. The freshly transformed Hawk Moth cut in front of Abel and continued ahead to the front view window. "Well, you said you'd take care of the boy. Now go ahead and do it.", he commands.

Abel's eyes narrowed and arms crossed. "Gabriel, that was four hours ago.", he states. "When I told you the plan, you went straight to your office. You didn't even notice that I already fulfilled most of my part of the plan." Hawk Moth blinked a few times in confused realization, before clearing his throat and turning around, not noticing Abel reach into his cloak.

"Fine. Once the boy finds out what you've done , we'll finally be able to achieve our goa-"

Hawk Moth cried out in surprise and fell to his knees as a searing pain rang through his backside. Abel yanked his dagger out of the man, the tip soaked in blood. The knife had detailed carvings on it, each groove had a stream of purple essence shown off, emerging from the now-empty vial.

"I said _most _of my plan, Gabriel. You never considered ulterior motives?", Abel grinned. Gabriel's eyes were frozen in widened shock, the only movement he gave off was sucking in fast inhales. "But...I…", Hawk Moth stammers, only to be halted by an arm around his neck. "Shush, Agreste. The stab won't kill you nonetheless. What I laced the blade with will give you trouble.", he reveals.

Hawk Moth's mouth hung open as his eyes shifted into a dull red tint. He stopped groaning in pain, instead staying still on his knees; his breathing slowing down. Abel examined the man in his now vegetative state.

"I never wanted you as a partner, Agreste. Your power was what caught my eye.", he taunts, knowing full well he wouldn't receive a reply. Abel pursed his lips and grabbed Hawk Moth by the scalp, roughly lifting his head up. "Has the toxin entered your bloodstream?", he grins.

Hawk Moth replied with a dull nod. "Now, do you swear to follow every order I give you?", he demands. Gabriel blinks for a second, but finally responds. "_Yes, Abel._", he grunts. Abel didn't release an evil laugh, instead smirking at the plan's execution. Mind control never was his thing, but life was full of surprises.

Speaking of surprises, he smiled wider at his previous deed. Tigre Blanc would never be the same…

…

For the first time in a while, the sky was clear of clouds and fog. Of course, the streets for still empty for some reason. The two heroes stopped in front of a simple blue house, which would've stood out less if the neighborhood's mood wasn't so dreary. For the first time in a while, Tigre was perfectly calm.

"This is it.", he says, simply. Ladybug nods in silent response. If this worked, this nightmare could be over. "What happens if this all works out in the end? You know, if Abel's beaten and you overcome your curse.", she asks. Tigre ignores the question and walks up to the entrance. He then halts his movements, hand outstretched but not reaching the knob. Ladybug grew slightly restless.

"Tigre? Did you hear me?", she demands, but was once again met with silence, which was soon followed up by a sigh. More of an annoyed one on his part. "Thanks for walking with me here.", he says. "I know we don't know each other that well, and I'm probably not the best judge on people, but you've been a good partner. I just hope this all ends up okay."

The words were kind, but a sense of dread was present in his tone. Ladybug decided not to feed the flame. "You'll do fine. And most of the time, your company wasn't terrible.", she replies. A smirk curled up on the boy's face as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Ladybug turned around to leave, and readied her arm to hurl her Yoyo

"You know what, Spots? Since I got this suit on, that just may be the nicest thing anyones ever said to me.", he comments, before entering the house and shutting the door. A smile found its way onto Ladybug's face as she flung her Yoyo into the distance and swooped away.

.

.

.̸̺͈̝͎̮̇̋̀̌̓̀̂͢͢.̴͇̲̱͈̺̩̤̱̄̽̿͘̕̕͜͝.̷̳̩̦̳͈̽̔̒̎̈̒̍͟͠.

.

.̸̺͈̝͎̮̇̋̀̌̓̀̂͢͢.̴͇̲̱͈̺̩̤̱̄̽̿͘̕̕͜͝.̷̳̩̦̳͈̽̔̒̎̈̒̍͟͠

..

.̸̺͈̝͎̮̇̋̀̌̓̀̂͢͢.̴͇̲̱͈̺̩̤̱̄̽̿͘̕̕͜͝.̷̳̩̦̳͈̽̔̒̎̈̒̍͟͠

.

.

The floor creaked ever so slightly as Tigre found his way past a tight entry hall. Near it stood a staircase leading to the higher floors. On the lowest level, there were doors to each room on the left and right sides of the walls. Tigre's head began to get cloudy, which he dismissed as he pushed open the closest door to the left. He stood in front of a decent, yet empty kitchen.

Tigre raised an eyebrow at the deserted room, but continued on nonetheless. A dull throb rang through his temple, which caused the hero's eyes to widen. "No...not now.", he grunts. Standing up, he turns his attention to the door to the right. His vision began to cloud as he did so. A simple closet was what he saw. Up to this point, Tigre had been holding on just fine. Until...

A whisper rang through his ear. His hands balled into fists as the voices spoke. As they began to get louder, Tigre shot up and quickened his pace to the second to last door. Kicking it open, it was simply an empty bathroom. Not bothering to waste any thoughts on it, he jerked his head in the opposite direction and was fave to face with the last door in the hall.

By now, his vision was fading, body shaking, and voices screaming atrocities into his inner thoughts. Tigre cried out in pain, which died down into a pained whimper. Putting in all of his strength into moving forward, he threw a fist and sent the door flying off its hinges. His eyes took in his surroundings, and he saw three figures. One male, and two females; one shorter than both.

Their faces were practically hidden, but he could see their smiles. Their comforting...familiar...smiles. Tigre lifts his shaking hand to remove his hood and embrace his family in a blind fit of joy, his consciousness slowly slipping away. To Tigre, it didn't matter. Gathering all of his strength, her throws his body forward and into his family's loving arms…

...And was met with emptiness, causing him to lose his balance and collapse onto the ground. His razor sharps claws dug at the floor as his consciousness slipped away at a fast pace. The last thing he saw were 3 bodies surrounding him, laying in a warm puddle of their own blood.

…

Feeling quite well about herself, Ladybug enjoyed her speedy trip home. Not noticing her partner sprint to the opposite side of the city a few roofs across, the girl sat herself on a comfortable spot on a bench. Citizens that passed her gawked at the hero's presence, before politely continuing along their way.

"Ladybug!", a voice shouted. The heroine turned her head to face the person. It was Alya, who was sprinting towards her. Ladybug stood up from the bench and flashed Alya a smile.

"Hello, Alya.", she greeted. "You okay? What seems to be the problem?". Alya was sprawled over her bent knees, breathing heavily, probably from the speed she was running at. "I saw these people. Or at least they kind of looked like people.", Alya explains. "They looked kinda suspicious, and they ran off that way." Alya points to a direction.

Ladybug nods and thanks the girl, before following the direction Alya pointed to. Her directions ended upon the middle of the street, where several people were around, and no one especially suspicious stood out in the crowds. Squinting past the sun, Ladybug barely saw the figures staring straight at her, perched on a rooftop where strangely, no one saw them.

The heroine threw her Yoyo blindly, feeling the tool rope firmly around something, a good tug sending her shooting through the air. Once she landed upright upon the narrow rooftop, she was met with a shoe to the face, sending her onto her back and nearly off the building. Ladybug opened her eyes, three figures standing in front of her, two of them perfectly balanced upon the slanted sides of the roof. One slim like a female, the other two had a muscular male build.

They were wrapped in dark grey silk of some sort, which made them stick out like a sore thumb, although no one seemed to acknowledge them. Ladybug's thoughts were cut off by another swift kick from thr female, which the heroine made sure to block with crossed arms, the impact causing her to slide off the roof and onto an empty street pathway.

"Who are you?", Ladybug demanded, not receiving an answer. The figures leapt off the building to meet her in her spot below, and faced her from a small distance. The two males slowly began to tread themselves around her, the one female staying locked in her spot.

The men then lunged at Ladybug, who sprung out of the way before they collided with her. The heroine sent a flying kick into the female's stomach, who barely tanked the hit. Ladybug swept her leg underneath the woman, or raised her foot to avoid the blow. Ladybug threw a punch first, which the woman deflected with her arm. The two traded swift blows, neither backing down until an arm locked around the back of Ladybug's neck.

One if the males had caught her, and soon threw a punch into her back. Ladybug groaned from the sudden blow, then backflipped over the man and out his grasp, before smashing her foot right into the back of his ribs. The other male was right behind her, and Ladybug barely leapt out of the way, avoiding a punch from above that the man sent. The heroine hurled her Yoyo right into one of the men, the sheer power of the weapon sending him flying into a wall.

Ladybug curled her arm to the side and whipped the Yoyo at the other male, looping firmly around his forearm. She then yanked it with all her might, sending the man flying towards her. Ladybug sent him flying back with a spinning roundhouse kick. Both men were temporarily incapacitated, so Ladybug turned around to face the female.

For a split second, the woman held a light silver bow, pulled back the quiver and released a long, sharp arrow. Ladybug swiftly spun her Yoyo before it reached her, shielding her and snapping the arrow on impact. The woman prepped to shoot another, but Ladybug had dashed forward before she could. Ladybug smacked the bow out of the girl's hands, before both crossed arms and clashed, attempting to overpower the other.

"Speak!", Ladybug demanded. "Why are you attacking me?!" The woman stood her ground, but finally spoke. "The boy.", she replied. Her voice was feminine, but sounded slightly altered to sound more anonymous. Ladybug squinted in confusion. "What?!", she questioned.

Ladybug's feet were then swept away from behind, and she landed hard on her stomach. Once she turned onto her back, she witnessed all three enemies standing above her in a menacing manner. To Ladybug's surprise, they didn't attack her. The female had retrieved her weapon and stared down at the heroine, before lifting her hand to her forehead and sliding the silk that covered it upwards. Under the layer was an elegant, glowing white headband.

"We're like him.", the woman spoke. She then placed her foot roughly on Ladybug's stomach and leaned in closer. "Don't let anything happen to him, and don't let him anywhere near Abel.", she hissed. "We'll know if you do. Consider this a warning." The woman lifted herself off the heroine and held up two fingers to her male companions, motioning them to follow her up a rooftop, and out of Ladybug's sight.

Ladybug rubbed her sore abdomen and stood up, not fully sure if she lost or not. The threat fresh in her mind, she reached for her Yoyo and grabbed the round tip, clicking a button and expanding it into a screen. Ladybug clicked a few buttons and waited, and was met with silence. "Come on, Cat. Pick up!", she grumbles. He was probably still sour about the other night.

"Okay, things couldn't get any worse than now.", the girl muttered, coaxing the anxiousness out of her for the most part. As she exited, she could never have known the fatal flaw of her statement. No matter what circumstance, things could _always_ get worse.

…

Run. Keep running. Don't stop. Even if your legs are aching, tendons are strained, and lungs feel like they're about to explode; don't...stop...running. That was what repeated through the Tigre's head as he sprinted at extraordinary speed across Paris, which had approached a dark sunset. It's surprising he was thinking at all at that moment. All he could do was run. That's the best option for someone like him, who woke up from horrendous nightmares and saw the corpses of his family. He had no idea where he was going, and he didn't care either.

Maybe he'd go to Ladybug, and hope she could make sense of the situation. Or he could go kill himself. Obviously, no redeeming progress was being made while he was alive. He'd hurt so many people. Tigre halted at the edge of the roof. He sighed, with no emotion in him, and took a leap of faith off of the building...until a blur went by and swiped him out of the air.

Tigre crashed painfully upon a lower rooftop, while his attacker landed gracefully behind him. The impact didn't get past Tigre's suit, so no physical pain was felt. Retrieving his blade, he used it as a support tool and lifted himself up, turning around to face the enemy. Their green eyes were the only fully visible thing, before the figure walked into the moonlight's path

"Hello, Tigre.", Cat sneered. The green eyes were a dead giveaway, so Tigre wasn't as surprised as he would've normally been. Then again, there weren't many emotions in him to work with. "What the hell are you doing?", Tigre exclaimed. Cat Noir reached for his staff and held it to his side, which Tigre kept his eye on. "I should've seen it from the start. It was so obvious the entire time.", Cat monologues.

Tigre stared in dumbfounded confusion as Cat Noir spoke. "I went to the Nightclub. And Master Fu. I've been doing a little investigating of my own, and I found out that there are other Miraculouses like yours." Tigre was only half-suprised there, since his memories were slowly coming back to him. "They're being sold.", Cat snarls. "Abel's been sticking them on people and selling them to others. It's all one sick, twisted conspiracy...that you're a part of."

Tigre's eyes widened. "What are you-", Cat smacks his staff hard against the ground, cutting Tigre off. "I'm not finished. I took another look, and it turns out that you're a part of all this. You're a ticking time bomb, and Abel's exploiting you perfectly. How do I know you haven't been working for him the whole time?!", he accused. "You're been a massive asshole throughout this mess, and then you beat a villain to near death, and you _still _manage to manipulate Ladybug into working for you!", he screams.

"You're crazy!:, Tigre snaps. "Do you have any idea what I just got back from?!" Cat groans and waves his staff. "What a surprise! It's Tigre the Victim! What's next, is my existence suddenly connected to your curse?! Am **I **the problem again?!" Tigre's eyes flicker red for a a second, but are restrained. "This is exactly why you weren't a part of this! We may not be close, but I know people like you! You'd just bitch and whine about having to work with someone you hate! I wanted help from 2 mature heroes, but I wouldn't have approached you if I knew you'd act like such a child!", Tigre rebuked.

Cat grit his teeth and raised his staff. "We _are _children, Tigre.", Cat hissed, sounding more like a supervillain than an angry hero. "You act like you're too mature to feel human emotions. Then you criticise me for not shutting them out!", he rants. Tigre didn't say, but Cat was correct on that part. "Cat-", he starts, but his cut off by another staff smack. "Shut up!", Cat growls. "You're a danger to me, Ladybug, and all of Paris! That's why I'm choosing to be a hero...and taking you out!", he finishes, raising his staff and preparing himself to fight.

Tigre put up his hands and backed away cautiously. "You don't want to do this.", he warns. Cat Noir eyed Tigre coldly. "Oh, I believe I do.", Cat replies. Soon after his threats, Cat Noir lunges forward. Tigre narrowly sidesteps a staff to the stomach, and jumps backwards to avoid a swing. Tigre then lands a lunge of his own and grabs ahold of the weapon, lifting it out of his face and above Cat's head. Cat Noir grit his teeth in the struggle, before smashing his knee into Tigre's stomach.

Tigre's grip softened but he didn't let go, until Cat placed his foot against Tigre and shoved him away. Cat Noir narrowed his green eyes and I kicked Tigre in the ribs, before twisting around, raising his leg high, and slamming his heel onto Tigre's shoulder. Cat then swings a few angry punches, two of them Tigre dodges. The last one slams into his chest, sending him sliding a few feet backwards.

"What's wrong, Tigre?", Cat grins, lost in anger. "Too scared to fight back?" Cat Noir throws a kick, which misses. While the attack distracted Tigre, Cat leapt into the air and raised his staff, before smashing the weapon onto the ground. Tigre had dashed away before the blow before it hit. "Cat, stop!", he orders. "This is insane!"

Cat Noir growls and pounces onto Tigre, before slamming his balled up fists into his skull. Tigre shoved Cat Noir off of him, still not actually attacking him. Cat goes in for another attack and grabs Tigre. He lifts his hand back to punch, but Tigre once again squirms out of his hold and avoids the attack. Cat screams in frustration. "Stay still, dammit!", he cries.

Cat shakes with rage and dashes forward, catching Tigre off guard. He launches a combo of uncoordinated kicks and punches, the last kick knocking Tigre off the roof. Cat Noir scrambles to the edge and looks over, and saw Tigre sprawled out over a different roof. Cat leapt after him and landed on the building, looking over to a pile of cinder blocks sitting along the flat surface.

Tigre got up on his feet, flinching slightly as he felt a blow to the back of the head. He jerked his head in the attack's direction, and quickly rolled out of the way to avoid a flying cinder block. Cat Noir had extended his staff and used it to probe the squares of the block, hooking it and hurling the block at Tigre.

Tigre Blanc reached for his Katana and sliced one of the blocks in half before it hit him, causing the chunk to let off dusty concrete residue. "Stop!", Tigre yelled, but only continued to have the Cinder Blocks thrown at him. "Well well well. Tigre playing the victim...again! Whoever your parents are, they must be proud.", Cat retorted. At extraordinary speed, Cat sent several Cinder Blocks hurling towards the hero.

The sheer power and number of the blocks overwhelmed Tigre, causing a cloud of dust to engulf him. Cat let out a battle cry and leapt into the dust...before screaming as he was sent hurling out of it. Once the dust cleared, Tigre emerged, holding his blade, eyes tinted red. Cat blinks away the dust and stares at Tigre.

"That's right, Tigre. Show me what you are: a rage filled psycho.", Cat sneers. Tigre holds his katana to his side and gets into a fighting position. "I kicked your ass once. This time, **you're not getting up.**", Tigre growls. Cat glares at him and beckons him closer. Both boys run up and clash their weapons. Cat struggled harder against Tigre, who wasn't holding back this time.

Tigre uses one hand to hold up his sword and his free one to latch onto Cat's throat, before heabutting the hero away. Before Cat Noir could recover, Tigre reaches for him and smashes his fist into his jaw, yanking him closer again and again to deliver his punches. Cat Noir breaks free and slugs Tigre across the face, before twisting around and roundhousing him. Tigre then retracts his claws and swiped at Cat's face area, luckily not reaching his target. Unfortunately for Cat Noir, Tigre swung a fist into his gut, using his vulnerability to slash a cut across his chest.

Cat roared in pain and shoved Tigre off of him. Tigre Blanc almost instantly regains his focus and spears himself into Cat's abdomen. He then wraps his arms around Cat Noir and jabs him repeatedly in the side. Cat fights against the grasp by bashing his knee against Tigre, doing damage, but not breaking free.

"You're a real piece of shit, Adrien! You don't know what I just went through, and you don't have the decency to stop and think!", Tigre snarls. He lifts Cat over his back with both arms and slams him downwards, suplexing him. Cat groans and lifts himself up, only to see Tigre sprinting towards him.

"WHY DON'T YOU GO TO HELL?!", Tigre screamed as he leapt up and sent a flying kick right into Cat Noir's face. The attack sent Cat Noir flying, nearly causing him to skid off the roof. When Cat Noir stopped sliding, both boys had rage inside them. Cat immediately sprung up and twirled his staff at rapid speed.

Tigre dashed forward and stabbed at Cat Nor, the whirring shield of his staff deflecting the blade. Once the attack was parried, Cat went in for the kill, only to have a downward swing swiftly blocked by Tigre's katana. "You can't hurt anyone else, Tigre.", Cat hissed. "You've lost." Tigre didn't reply, instead resorting to sweeping his leg out from under him.

Tigre lands onto Cat Noir's body and holds him down, before raising a fist and landing a punch across his jaw. "Fuck you, Adrien.", Tigre states, before slamming a harder offense into his face once more. Tigre repeated his punches at a steady rate, until he was fluidly launching several powerful

punches against Cat Noir's facial area.

While the powerful punches stunned and blinded Adrien, he had one last trick up his sleeve. Although every sane part of him was screaming for him not to. Cat Noir's vision fought past the assault, and he shot his hand above Tigre's shoulder and lifted his hood off. "_Cataclysm!"_, Cat Noir shouted. Tigre was indeed caught off guard, but the rage is his eyes burned past logic. Within a split second, Tigre grabbed his blade, held it above his head, and brought it down onto Cat Noir.

A millisecond before Tigre finished the job, Cat Noir clenched a Cataclysm in his fist and threw a punch directly into Tigre's unguarded temple. To Cat Noir, it all happened in slow motion. The sword fell through Tigre's finger and crashed onto the ground. The sheer power of the attack sent Tigre flying off the building once more.

Cat Noir triumphantly grinned, his rage blocking the pain of the pummeling he took. He was going to finish this. Cat then scrambled to his feet and leapt blindly over the edge, landing on the hard floor of the sidewalk: specifically in a back alley. Tigre was laying limp against several tradh cans. He lifted his head slowly, which had a line of blood oozing from the top and down his forehead.

Tigre groaned in pain as he fought to stay conscious. Cat Noir knee he had taken it too far, but he wasn't about to apologize to someone he was trading blows with earlier. Tigre Blanc slowly dragged himself up, just as Cat Noir ignored his guilt and charged forward. Cat swung his staff, only to have it caught by Tigre, who looked up at Cat Noir and glared.

Tigre stood up and threw a punch into Cat Noir's chest. The punch wasn't as powerful as the one he took from Cat, but it nevertheless sent Adrien flying out of the Alley and onto the street. Tigre sprinted over to Cat Noir to follow up on his attack, but was hit with a staff to the chin, sending him onto his back. Cat Noir had rolled backwards before Tigre attacked him.

Both boys stood up, as the sky grew more dark. Tigre weakly gripped his sword, and Cat Noir tiredly raised his staff. Neither attacked, instead watching the other with eyes that practically burned into each other's soul.

…

Abel had Hawk Moth in the palm of his hand. No one was aware of what he was doing. Hawk Moth's power was coursing through his veins, and he could only dream of what he would do. But he didn't have to.

He felt a signal go off in his head. Negative emotions were present in the city. Several, actually. Hawk Moth wasted all his time with incompetent teens, missing the Gold Mine that this city was. Abel with a wave of the hand, Abel controlled Gabriel like a puppet. He could akumatize whoever he wanted.

One part of the city felt the strongest, so Abel reached into his cloak and pulled out a familiar vial, pouring the clear liquid on his hands and creating a view into that location. Looking through the vortex was a pleasant sight. Tigre Blanc and Cat Noir were squared up against each other, ready to fight. Abel grinned maliciously and approached Hawk Moth. With the release of an Akuma, any one of those heroes could be turned into a major threat.

One was all he needed. Only one could be capable of decimating anyone in their way. Only one of them could be his personal weapon.

But then again, why have only one?

**A/N: These times have been crazy, so this chapter took a while. We're only 2 chapters away from the end. Anyway, Stay safe, stay indoors, and keep 6 feet away from anyone if you don't have a mask. **

**Got any Thoughts, Suggestions, or Requests? Comment them down below.**

**Until the next Chapter...**


	11. Chapter 10: Heroism Falls

**A/N: Here we go. This chapter was actually meant to be a part of the latest chapter I did, but I took long enough with Chapter 9, so this is a separate chapter entirely. So as I approach the end, I've been thinking about what will happen afterwards. This story has gotten a good amount of attention, and I won't make a sequel if everyone's lost interest and gone elsewhere. I'm not sure what's going to happen, so read this chapter for now. **

Tigre hadn't returned, Ladybug pondered. It had been a couple of hours since he disappeared into his home, looking for his family. But he hadn't come back since. It was the morning of a new day, and he was gone all night with no communication. And Marinette was starting to worry. What worried her more than Tigre missing was Tigre _and_ Cat Noir missing. Both were gone, and they weren't on the best terms.

Marionette laid still on her bed, neatly sitting and waiting for Tigre or Cat Noir to magically pop in. "He should've returned by now.", Marinette sighed. Tikki fluttered out from behind Marinette's shoulder and sat next to her on the bed, her small body sinking into the plush mattress. "Don't fret. Tigre probably stayed with his parents for the night. And Cat Noir is probably cooling off from the encounter you two had." Tikki coaxed.

Marinette tried to find comfort in her words, but her brain had other plans. "I don't know. Something about this seems suspicious.", she pondered. If Tikki had eyebrows, they would be raised. "I feel so out of the loop. Cat Noir and Tigre have been doing their own things, and I've just been hanging around.", Marinette says.

"That's not true, Marinette.", Tikki smiles. "You've helped out Tigre plenty of times, and he couldn't have gone this close to apprehending Abel if he didn't have your help", Tikki chirped. Mariette smiles and gingerly pets Tikki atop the head, which the Kwami giggled at. "Thanks, Tikki. I just want to fix all this.", Marinette admitted. "And...I just want to save Tigre. Cat Noir is stable and strong, but Tigre could break at any minute."

"Marinette, you're Ladybug.", Tikki reminds. "You're the _queen _of fixing these situations, and saving people. Tigre won't be any different. You'll be able to save everyone, like usual" Tikki was right, of course. But saving everyone was a personal goal that was always hanging by a thread. "Thanks for the pep talk, Tikki.", Marinette thanks. "You're right, I need to fix this. I'm finding both of them, and we're going to sort out whatever conflict is between us.", the girl decides.

Tikki hovers higher, ready for Marinette's orders. "TIKKI, SPOTS ON!", she exclaims.

…

…

…

…

…

"Ugh. It's harder than it looks to find two heroes in a city like Paris", Ladybug complains, with no one around to reply. The heroine sighed and zoomed across the city once more. Still nothing. She was fast enough to check every inch of the town within seconds, and she still found nothing.

Ladybug maintained her laser focus though, and reached her arm back to send herself swinging once more, but halted once she saw something in the distance. It wasn't Cat Noir, nor Tigre. It was a small black drone, but not the harmless toys that teenagers buy at the store. It looked relatively high tech, and floated above ground suspiciously with large, circular propellers.

The heroine squinted at the machine, and spotted two metallic attachments on its sides. They were weapons of some sort. To summarize, was an armed drone flying above a city filled with innocents. Ladybug promised herself she wouldn't get distracted, but this was an urgent situation.

Ladybug sighed at the interruption and flung her Yoyo across the city, shooting towards the Drone. The machine seemed to have spotted her, but retreated below the buildings instead of attacking. Ladybug yanked her Yoyo away from a structure and hurled it once more, looping around the building's corner and tailing the Drone into an open window.

Once Ladybug had entered the house, she listened for any machinery. She heard nothing, so cautiously strutted down the hallway, which was really long and narrow for some reason. Ladybug ended up in a wide stretched living room, with no furniture. The building must have been recently abandoned and roughed up.

A light humming noise tensed up the heroine, who slowly turned around to the opposite side of the hall. The drone wasn't afraid of her, and hovered with it's weapons drawn. They were firearms, something that Ladybug always avoided. The drone had a glowing green lens on the front, which brightened as it backed up and flew full speed at her.

Ladybug sends her Yoyo flying into the drone, smashing into it with intense force. The machine was smacked from the air and crashed onto the ground; incapacitated but not broken. Ladybug thanked her lucky stars that the drone didn't fire. The heroine approached the machine and kneeled down to examine it.

Other than what she saw from a distance, the drone didn't have much design to it. On the far backside, words were painted into it: reading _McClay Enterprises_. The drone came from a company of some sort. With technology like this, they were most likely dangerous, the girl pondered. Ladybug stood up and turned around, before being cut off by a loud bang and a flash of green light.

Ladybug clawed at her eyes and groaned in surprise. Once they were opened, everything around her seemed blurry and dark as night. She couldn't see anything clearly, not even the distorted figure in front of her. The person was tall and fit, but that was all she could make out. Otherwise, it's body was made out of pure indescribable matter. The only truly distinct feature she could see was slim, green eyes: which looked more like goggles now that she looked again.

The figure slowly made their way to the heroine, who groaned once more in pained confusion and backed up, not noticing the frail window behind her. The person shot their hand out and latched onto her throat and pulled her close until her eyes met his: their goggles staring into her soul.

"Don't follow me.", the figure ordered. It's voice was deep and menacing, which was most likely a voice modulator. Ladybug attempted to speak, but only a choked cry escaped her lips. The stranger cocked it's head. "You feel vulnerable... don't you?", it asked, not caring for an answer. "That feeling will be a familiar one if you don't heed my warning." After it's cryptic words, the Enigma let go of her, causing Ladybug to lose her balance and fall backwards, crashing through the glass of a window.

Ladybug's vision remained blurry as she plummeted from the window, breaking her fall on a bouncy awning, before finishing her fall by landing onto the rock hard pavement. The heroine rubbed her eyes once more, her vision still not starting to clear. She suffered an interruption once more, as screams rang through the area. Several citizens fled past her in horror as a loud, distant boom shook the city.

Ladybug sat up, to witness a tall building collapse into black dust. If that wasn't enough, several chunks of sliced debris were sent flying towards her. Ladybug rolled out the way from a chunk of building, sidestepping another before collapsing to her knees due to the adrenaline rush from the attack. The last thing she witnessed was a gigantic piece of debris flying into her.

…

Nathalie paced around Gabriel's empty office with worries inside of her. Adrien and Gabriel were both missing. There had to have been an explanation for their disappearance, she would repeat to herself. But she was wrong. Something was wrong with both of them. Nathalie never was a 'feelings' person, hence why she speaks without them. She wouldn't handle Adrien if he was just being a distant teenager.

Gabriel, however, was a grown man with private issues. Nathalie knew a thing or two about those issues, so she was better suited to help him. With a man like Abel, she couldn't get too close if he was aware. Luckily, she could access Gabriel without approaching him. Nathalie lifted two fingers and put them to her ear, activating the listening device she had acquired to contact him.

She was met with silence once it was turned on. No voices or static. Just silence. Nathalie gasped softly and put her hand down, before speed walking out of the room and into the Mansion's main hall. She turned to the Painting of Emile and swing it open like a door to get to the silver safe within it. Nathalie frantically tapped the code onto it's pad and practically ripped it open.

A miraculous sat inside of it, an all too familiar one to Nathalie. It was risky, but she was willing to go through with extreme actions to save Gabriel. She reached out and snatched it, shutting the safe and painting before ducking back into Gabriel's office. From the outside of it, a blue flash could be seen.

...

Ladybug moaned softly as her eyes fluttered opened, her head aching in pain as she groaned once more. The girl then gathered the strength to sit up, and was met with near pitch darkness. It was the middle of the night, which is coincidentally where most of her misfortunes took place.

The heroine gasped and scampered to her feet. "It's night?", she mutters. "My parents must be worried sick." She hadn't detransformed yet, so she must had been lying unconscious for hours on the street while dressed as a superheroine. As Ladybug examined her surroundings, the street looked unfamiliar. It wasn't the one she had collapsed onto, so either she must've been imagining things, or…

The swift sound of light sprinting feet alarmed the girl, snapping her out of her thoughts. The aching in her head disappearing, she managed to brandish her Yoyo and twirl it at subsonic speeds, preparing herself for a fight. A snicker came from the darkness, tensing Ladybug up.

A person stood in the darkness, a lit street light making their presence clear, yet unknown. "Who are you?", Ladybug questions. The figure lifts a hand to their chest, moving their finger forward and causing a small bell to ring. Ladybug squinted. "Wait...Cat Noir? What are you doing this late at night?", she exclaims.

Cat Noir snickers once more. "Cat Noir isn't the one you want to know about. He's checked out due to an urgent matter...permanently.", he replies ominously. Ladybug stared at the figure in confusion. "Problem?", she questions. "Cat Noir, is something wrong?" Two cat-like eyes open in the darkness, tinted with a pale blue.

"Not necessarily.", the figure laughs, slowly walking into the streetlight. "I just opted for a...change of appearance." It wasn't Cat Noir. Or at least...it didn't look like him. He wore a bleached white suit instead of a pitch black one, and his eyes resembled the blue ones that she witnessed in the darkness.

Ladybug gasps and backs away slowly. "What happened to you?", she asks with horror. 'Cat Noir' lifts his staff and extends it. His tool had changed as well. On each end of it, the staff wore a slim, silver blade resembling a spear tip. Twirling his double-bladed weapon, the former hero grinned maliciously. "You can forget that name. I go by...Chat Blanc now. All this drama has turned me into a monster. Which I can't say I've hated so far.", he smiles.

Chat Blanc dashes forward at extraordinary speed and used his staff to pole vault himself towards Ladybug and smash into her with a double-footed kick. Ladybug yelped and tumbled a few feet away. Chat Blanc zoomed forward once more, but Ladybug sidestepped the attack before it landed. Begrudgingly, she swung a kick into his back, sending him onto the pavement.

Chat Blanc wasn't too fazed. He turned onto his side and extended his bladed weapon directly at the heroine, who barely backed away to avoid impalement. Once the attack was avoided, Chat Blanc took advantage of her relief to pounce on her like a feral feline. He held onto her tight as he rolled down the street, before lifting her upwards and sending her flying off him with both feet.

Ladybug crashed onto the hood of a car, somehow not sending off an alarm. She lifted herself off, and witnessed Cat Noir holding two balls of energy in his hands. He then hurled one of them at her with incredible force. Ladybug rolled off the vehicle and realized what he had thrown at her once the car began to disintegrate instantaneously.

Chat Blanc cackles with insanity and sends the last Cataclysm spiraling towards her once more. Ladybug yelps and rolls out if the way again, this time, the Cataclysm crashed into the side of a building: reducing it to dust.

Ladybug sprung to her feet and sprinted towards Chat Blanc. Chat snarled and sent several Cataclysms hurling at her. Using her speed, Ladybug slid under one Cataclysm and leapt over another. As she began to get closer to him, she brandished her Yoyo and spun it at supersonic speeds: creating a makeshift barrier that blocked the blow of his attacks.

Ladybug deflected the last one, nearly hitting Chat with it. Once he was stunned, she used her momentum to leap high into the air and bent her arm back. Using whatever strength she had, Ladybug threw the Yoyo at full speed at Chat…

...only for a blur to go by, pinning the tool to the ground. Ladybug's eyes widened as she hit the ground hard. She glanced over to her Yoyo, and saw a long, serrated blade piercing the weapon and sticking it into the asphalt of the road. The heroine heard a thump from behind, and jerked her head in the noise's direction.

The force of a truck hit her cheek before she could react. The blow sent her flying inoi the side of a house, and as she fell back down onto the sidewalk, she caught an eyeful of the attacker. The man blended into the night, his only visible features being the stripes on his body: which were a bright white, and his eyes: which were dark purple.

"Tigre? Tigre Blanc?!'", Ladybug exclaimed. The situation was bad enough with Chat Blanc, but Tigre being akumatized added a new twinge of horror. Tigre let out an deep, animalistic growl as he retrieved his weapon, while Chat Blanc walked up beside him.

"I don't go by that name anymore.", Tigre replied. "Call me...Tigre Noir." It didn't take a genius to see the coincidence between their names. "And as you can see, akumatizations have gotten an upgrade." Chat Blanc stepped forward and gleefully spun his bladed baton. "And now that we've been enhanced, we've got a bone to pick with you."

Ladybug was outnumbered, so she kept her Yoyo at a safe distance. "What happened to you? And how are you _both _akumatized?!", Ladybug cries. Tigre glances at Chat Blanc, who grins maliciously. "Hawk Moth is taking a...break. He's got Abel filling in. I gotta say, I'm angry that this hadn't happened sooner.", he reveals.

Tigre wasn't as chipper, and runs his finger along the jagged part of his sword. "Yeah. Too bad this only goes one way. Come to think of it, I'm not even that angry at you, Ladybug. I guess seeing your parent's carcasses can really make wrong things feel right.", he says nonchalantly. Ladybug gasps as she fights back tears of remorse.

"Your parents are...oh, Tigre. I-", she starts. Chat Blanc groans, cutting her off. "Stop trying to do damage control. Tigre may not have a clear motivation here other then the Akuma's corruption, but you really messed me up, Ladybug.", Chat snarls. "Everytime you lie to me about things like this, you are _fucking me! _I gotta say, you fucked me good and hard with this one!"

Ladybug raised her eyebrows, and Tigre Noir looked at Chat funny. Noticing how his language could've been taken the...wrong way, he corrected himself. "What I mean is that you screwed with my emotions. I can't believe that you of all people ignored our partnership and dove into a dangerous mission against some criminal...while choosing _another_ criminal as a partner over me!", Chat shrieks. "No offense, Tigre."

"None taken."

Ladybug's mind was racked. "I...I'm sorry, Cat Noir. What I did was unforgivable and I don't know what I was thinking. I just want this to be like the other times, where everything is okay and all the victims are saved.", she apologizes. "I am _truly_ sorry." Chat Blanc blinks for a second taking her words in. Until finally, he glared at the heroine.

"You see...I would have believed that. If it hadn't happened before!", he snaps. "Time and time again you have toyed with my feelings, and I am sick of it!" Tigre Noir only watched as this argument went on. "You must think it takes guts to blow off emotions from others just to be a good hero. Well I know a thing or two about guts, Ladybug!"

Chat Blanc balls his hands into fists and menacingly readies his bladed baton. "And now...you're going to see _yours._", he hisses. Tigre readies himself for a fight as well. Knowing she had failed to fix the situation with words, Ladybug twirled her Yoyo and allowed herself to fight them, against her wishes. Chat Blanc cries out in pure rage, charging forward and attacking, sealing the deal.

…

Abel emptied the last of the crimson dust into Hawk Moth's miraculous from a vial. The substance was what solidified their 'partnership', the memory making the old man grin. He had no worries at the moment, as long as the device he carried didn't ring. If a single chirp came from the phone, he would-

His thoughts were cut off by the mechanical sound of a sliding panel. Abel turned around, blade behind his back. It was Nathalie, who was colored in a blue hue with purple clothing, and a majestic handheld fan made out of several white feathers. Abel looked at the woman thoroughly, before smirking.

"Well, you couldn't have gotten all dressed up just to say hello.", he greets. Nathalie narrowed her eyes and brandished her fan. "I am Mayura. Abel, you have overstayed your welcome in this building. You're a danger to Adrien and our home: so you must be apprehended.", she replies.

Abel raised an eyebrow and stepped to the side, revealing Hawk Moth, kneeled over in a vegetative state. Mayura's eyes widened in horror, but soon hid her surprised expression. Abel whistles a short tune as he places the empty vial into his coat, before gripping his knife between his fingers and titling it at Mayura.

Abel grinned and motioned her to come at him, which she took. Mayura dashes forward and throws a fist at him. Abel neatly sidesteps the attack and swings a chop into her stomach. In a calculated motion, he raises his hand and lands another chop into the back of her neck, before jamming two fingers into her chin: practically undercutting her onto her back.

Mayura groans in pain and lifts herself up. Abel cackles at her vulnerability. "You didn't think this fight would be a cakewalk, did you? Nathalie, I was practically handicapped when I arrived here. MallIt seems you've underestimated me.", he taunts. Mayura glares and brandished her fan once more, following up by quickly approaching Abel once more.

Mayura launched several fast kicks into Abel, who blocked most of them. She wasn't done though, and scored a surprise kick into his chest, sending him sliding back a few feet. Mayura looked at Abel with determined hate, her stare corresponding the impressed smile he wore.

Abel pressed a few fingers into his chest, checking for any damage. The old man tsk tsked the lack of pain he felt, and returned to the fighting position he was in. "I can last much longer than you, maid.", he snarls. "Now...show me more power."

…

Ladybug winced as a fist collided against her nose, causing her to stumble backwards in pain. The heroine felt lightheaded from the swift beating she was receiving, and the faint glow of the rising Sun was all that lit her surroundings. She wouldn't last much longer if Chat and Tigre kept overwhelming her.

As the girl tried to maintain her focus, Chat Blanc took a break from his continued attacks. "I gotta say, I expected more from you. You've been slacking lately.", he jeered, as Tigre Noir lingered from behind him. Blood began to dribble from Ladybug's nose, which she gingerly wiped away with the back of her hand. "Guess I'm just losing my touch.", she replied bitterly, holding her side in pain.

Chat guffaws and readies his staff once more. "You can say that again. Face it _Bugaboo_, you can't beat us. You're helpless." Ladybug observed her surroundings, looking for something, anything, that could save her. Then she saw it: the Eiffel Tower standing against the sunrise. And just like that, she had a plan.

"Maybe I can't beat yout.", she replied, glancing over to a light post. "But I'm _not_ helpless." Before Chat or Tiger could react, Ladybug flung her Yoyo at a light post and let the tool yank her towards it. The sheer power of the Yoyo sent her flying towards the Eiffel Tower at incredible speed, putting her at a good difference from her enemies. Chat cried out in frustration and went after her, With Tigre also hot on her tail.

Ladybug was still airborne once she reached the tower, hurling her Yoyo around the structure to swing around. It was then that her escape was cut short, once Chat Blanc caught up with her and pounced on her in mid air. Both teenagers grappled against each other at first, Ladybug's Yoyo still remaining attached to the structure. Finally, Chat reached over to Ladybug's ear and plucked one of her earrings from it: causing her to gasp.

"You're in trouble now, M'lady!", Chat cried. Once he had taken the jewelry, he then let himself fall off of the heroine, catching himself once he reached the ground. Ladybug widened her eyes as her mask began to disappear, just as the Yoyo looped her around the tower: causing her to smack into one of the tower's bars. Ladybug stuck right to the vertical surface and quickly recovered, while more of her alter ego was exposed to the world.

Ladybug reached her hands up and grabbed one of the bars above her, pulling herself up and glancing at the several bars above intertwining together. She gracefully leapt into the rows of metal and began gracefully leaping from bar to bar, making her way to a platform. Once she reached that platform, she heard the distant clank of footsteps against metal. Ladybug ducked behind a convenient stack of crates near the tower's elevator, just as she fully de-transformed. The girl breathed a sigh of relief at the close call she had witnessed, yet stayed hidden from her attackers.

Chat Blanc and Tigre Noir seemed oblivious to her hiding spot and spread out to search for her among the mess of staircases leading up to the tower. Marinette only had one earring, so transforming wasn't an option quite yet. It was then that Tikki zoomed out from her back pocket and peeked over the railing of the platform. "I might be able to snag your earring back.", Tikki whispered. "But I'll need to eat something to have enough energy to do so."

Marinette nodded and reached into her pocket to pull out a cookie, which she handed to her kwami. "Luckily I always come prepared", Marinette muses. Once Tikki chowed down on the cookie at record breaking speed, she gained a pep in her step and floated across the tower, phasing right through anything in her way. The kwami halted her trip to observe the two boys, searching for the one with Marinette's earring. Although Chat had originally taken it, Tikki spotted the earring between Tigre Noir's fingers. Tikki didn't see Chat at the moment, so she dove in and went after Tigre.

Tigre was walking up the stairs at a casual stroll, clearly not as passionate about the situation as Chat Blanc. Tikki was then able to fly close to Tigre and pluck the piece of jewelry from his fingers. With the plan a success, Tikki trumphanly flew past Tigre, not noticing him glance from the corner of his eye, and made her way to the platform. "Marinette!", Tikki exclaimed, hushing her voice into a whisper. "I got your earring, now you can-"

Tikki stopped dead in her tracks once she heard strained breathing from behind her. The kwami turned her head to face the noise, and witnessed Chat Blanc lifting Marinette by her throat with one hand, as the girl struggled to escape. Tikki gasped and dashed forward to save her friend, but was batted aside by an unexpected strike from behind. Tigre Noir watched as the Kwami fell to the ground, no serious damage done. Tigre reached forward and snatched the Kwami before she could run.

Tigre examined the specimen he held in his palm, holding her firmly, but not crushing her like a bug. "Interesting creature.", Tigre noted. "This must be one of those Kwami's I've heard about." Chat then cleared his throat to get Tiger's attention. Once he had it, Chat made the 'grabby hand' gesture; making Tigre take the Miraculous from Tikki's small hands and toss it to Chat. Chat Blanc catches the earring and grins at the display of them in his hand. Marinette tried to protest, but could barely breathe enough to do so.

"Let her go. She'll asphyxiate if you don't let her go.", Tigre informs. Chat ignores him and shuffles the earrings between in his palm. "Huh. That was surprisingly easy. Hawk Moth really was incompetant. Right, Abel?", he asks. A shape outline tinted with surrounded Chat's eyes.

_"Incompetant indeed. Now, focus on the mission. Keep Ladybug at bay for a while. The woman I told you about will show up if the events are done flawlessly.",_ Abel replies.

Chat nodded as the outline disappeared, before turning to Marinette. "I must say, it was surprising to know that you were Ladybug, Marinette. Fortunately, I don't know why I would care at the moment.", he muses. Marinette clawed at Chat's hold as she once again fought against his grasp. "Dammit, let her free! She can't die yet!", Tigre exclaimed. Chat rolls his eyes and goes on to loosen his grip. Tikki used their distraction to her advantage, and broke away from Tigre.

The kwami then shot forward and went right though Chat's torso, causing him to shout in surprise and drop Marinette. Tikki looped around him and caught the Miraculous in her hands, allowing Marinette to smash a fist into Chat Blanc's cheek and fully break free. Marinette and her kwami raced to the edge of the tower, and with impressive bravery, leapt off of it entirely. Chat widened his eyes and dashed to the edge to track them, and found nothing below the tower.

"She couldn't have fallen that fast.", Chat reassures. "She's still here somewhere. Let's stay close, so we'll be ready for her if she shows up." As they began their search once more, the failed to notice Ladybug, fully transformed, perched on a lower bar of the tower, having already formed a plan.

…

Abel swiftly blocked the flurry of hits that were launched into him by Mayura. Once the barrage of attacks failed, Abel parried a sidekick to yank the woman close and ram his shoulder into her stomach, sending her onto the ground. Mayura sprung up, fueled by adrenaline, and leapt into the air to thrust her foot forward to kick him. Abel sidestepped the attack and let Mayura land safely, before using her surprise as an advantage and scoring a punch into her side, just below her ribcage.

Mayura cried out from the sudden pain, but was cut off when she felt herself being lifted from behind. Abel carried the woman with little struggle, and threw her like a ragdoll across the room. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?", Abel boomed as Mayura crashed onto the floor. "Although this was never a fair fight. I have hundreds of fights under my belt." Mayura sprung up and gripped her aching side, getting ready to continue her duel once more.

"I will not cease my attacks, Abel. I'm stopping you from hurting anyone else.", she replied. Abel gave her an unamused look for her generic line. He then grinded his palms together and aimed them at Mayura, producing flames that shot out from his palms. Mayura managed to roll to the side and escape the fire, and dashed forward to send a flying kick into the old man's torso. Once Abel was stunned, the woman managed to land several more quick blows that dealt decent damage upon the man.

As their scuffle went on, Hawk Moth remained still in a vegetative state, and had no physical reaction to anything around him. Especially not when Abel managed to get the upper hand and slam Mayura onto the ground with impressive strength. Eventually, the beating she took proved too much for her, and she was finally knocked out cold.

"Disappointing.", Abel muttered, slinging the woman's unconscious body aside. As if nothing happened, Abel marched himself back over to Hawk Moth and continued his work. He was on top of the world, and nothing could get in his way now.

As long as that phone stayed silent.

…

"Where could she possibly be?", Chat Blanc grumbled. After a near 15 minutes of searching, Ladybug was nowhere to be seen. Tigre and him had been scanning the tower's entire chain of platforms, and they had found nothing. Perhaps she had gotten smart and left.

"She couldn't have gotten far.", Tigre assures. Chat sighs and turns to face him. "You know, I'm still a little pissed off on our latest encounter. It's just cruel fate that we ended up as partners here ", Chat complains. "I'm the only one here that cares about getting revenge on Ladybug. We did nothing to you."

"Can't disagree with you there.", Tigre admits. "Though being Akumatized feels great. I'm just going along with this. Although I still hate you too.", he replies. Chat didn't reply, instead opting to continue searching the tower, which Tigre also ended up doing.

A couple levels down, Ladybug crouched upon one of the tower's beams, somehow having remained undetected. She had to work out a plan to get out of the situation she was currently in. Several tactics began to circle her mind. Attacking them head on would be a bad idea, and stealth already failed once. That was all she had. A Lucky Charm would be a last resort, and she couldn't risk being close to de-transformation around them. "Shit. I've got nothing.", she muttered. It seemed that she had no options that led to victory. She was at the end of her rope. Unless…

Ladybug thought hard, and remembered something she heard a while earlier from Tigre. _"You see, the thing about boys like me or Cat Noir is that we have clear emotional problems. It's what makes us vulnerable."_. It was then that Ladybug had an idea. She'd hate to manipulate the two, but it was all she could do to snap them out of their current form.

Sighing at the action she was about to perform, Ladybug stepped off of the beam she was on and flung her lengthy Yoyo to wrap around the tip of the tower. She threw herself off of the structure and looped around the tower, shooting herself up a few levels, before finally reaching the platform Tigre and Chat were on. "Hope this works.", she mumbles to herself, before leaping inside the tower and onto the platform.

Chat Blanc heard her land upon the platform and jerked his head in her direction. "It's Ladybug! Get her!", he cried. Tigre heard Chat's order and followed him to face the girl. Ladybug stood across from both boys, who were creeping closer by the second. "Wait;", Ladybug shouted, somehow halting them in their tracks. "I'm turning myself in.", she said.

_"What?"_, Abel said. _"That's unlikely. She could be tricking you."_

Chat and Tigre raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances. "Yeah, right.", Chat hissed. "I've seen how you fight. I'm not falling for your manipulation!" Ladybug gulped nervously, yet stuck to her story. "No manipulation here, Chat." she calmly replied. "I don't want to see this go on any longer." That seemed to be good enough for Chat, who grinned and approached her.

"This _could _still be a trick...but Akumatization is tampering with my judgement.", Tigre mutters. As both boys began to walk towards the girl to apprehend her, Ladybug put her plan into action. "Alright, Tigre. You're the more capable one here, so you take me." Tigre obliged and continued forward, but Chat Blanc raised an eyebrow.

"What? That's not true. I'm way better than Tigre. I kicked his ass earlier!", he protests. Tigre turned his head to him and glared. "Cool it. It's not like she's wrong." Chat gawks in surprise and steps in front of Tigre, before he could incapacitate Ladybug. "Now hold on, are you asking to start something...again?", he exclaims.

"I wouldn't have to try hard to. I'm more mature. You'd be the one starting fights.", he rebuked. Chat snarled and stood his ground. "You know... I've always thought of Chat as the more mature one.", Ladybug chimes in, her plan starting to work. Tigre looked unamused at her input, while Chat looked like he was on the verge of uncontrollable laughter. "See?", he grinned. "I'm better than you." As both boys continued their heated dispute, Ladybug began to back away slowly. "That's not what that means!" Tigre snapped. "You should just-"

"Tigre, stop.", Chat interrupts. "It's pretty obvious what Ladybug is doing here." Both of them turned to the heroine, who for a second, thought her plan had failed. "... She's recognizing my superiority as a partner!", he finishes. Ladybug breathed a sigh of relief, as Tigre began to grow enraged. Ladybug had an opening, and took it.

"LUCKY CHARM!", she exclaims, catching the attention of Chat and Tigre. The lucky charm produced an object in mid air, which landed perfectly in her hands. The heroine raised an eyebrow at the peculiar object of choice. "Handcuffs?", she questions. "What am I going to do with those?"

Chat looks at Tigre. "Oh, great. She's probably going to find a way to beat us with those.", he grumbles. Tigre Noir glances at the pair of handcuffs, and back at Chat Blanc. "Really? How the hell would you know for sure?" Chat scoffed at his lack of experience. "I've been partners with her for a while now. She always wins, which you'd know if you weren't such a stupid little shi-"

As Ladybug predicted, their banter left them distracted. The girl sprinted at the arguing villains and leapt over them, reaching out and sealing the handcuffs around their wrists. She landed gracefully behind them, just as they noticed what she had done. "What the hell?!", Chat exclaimed, struggling against the trap.

_"She's used her Lucky Charm! Don't lose focus and take her out!"_

Ladybug didn't waste time provoking them and took off in another direction, beckoning her opponents to follow her. "Shit! We gotta get her!", Chat yelled, sprinting off to tail her. Unfortunately for him, he forgot he was wearing handcuffs, and was yanked back by the chain and fell onto his back. "She's not over there!", Tigre hissed, before running in the opposite direction, practically dragging Chat with him.

The heroine leapt through the bars of the tower, glancing at the arguing enemies, who were struggling to follow her, with their constant bickering. Finally, they managed to spring after her(still not agreeing on working together), just as Ladybug kept through the opening and out of the tower. The two boys spotted the heroine running alongside the surface of the tower, moving far faster than they were. "There she is!", Chat yelled, before continuing after her.

As they stayed hkn on her tail, Ladybug quickly approached the edge of the structure, just as Tigre reeled back and swung his serrated blade. The blow wasn't fast enough, barely missing Ladybug and smashing into the metal of the tower. "Shit!"* Tigre cursed, about to pull the blade from the tower. "You idiot! Retrieve the damn sword and get her!", Chat cried.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you weren't screaming in my fucking ear!", he snapped. Once again, they resumed their feud. "Fish in a barrel.", Ladybug mused, turning back from the corner and flinging her Yoyo right at the two. A split second before the Yoyo hit, Tigre shut himself up and moved his neck to the side, narrowly escaping the tool, which smacked right into Chat Blanc with immense force and knocking him off the tower.

Forgetting he was attached to Chat Blanc, Tigre Noir was also yanked off of the structure. Both were falling quite quickly: but each managed to flung an attack with their free hand, Chat Blanc and Cataclysm and Tigre his sword. Ladybug saw the attacks coming a mile away and smacked the Cataclysm aside and leapt over the thrown blade, before hurling the Yoyo at the two. "Crap!", Chat exclaimed as he fell faster by the second, approaching the ground just as-

They were suddenly stopped right before they reached the ground. Upon looking up, he Ladybug's Yoyo had wrapped tightly around Tigre and his bodies: saving them from falling to their death. Upon realizing they had bee saved, Tigre and Chat soon realized that they couldn't move past the restraints.

"Dammit! This is your fault!", Tigre accused, the rage of defeat blinding him. "My fault?!", Chat yelled! You son of a-". It was then that Ladybug landed beside them and reached out, plucking Chat's ring from his fingers and smashing her fist onto Tigre's watch, destroying the beacons that the Akumas hid in. As expected, the two black butterflies: this time covering in red cracks, radiply flapped its wings to retreat from the area: a futile goal.

"No more evildoing for you, little Akuma.",she says, repeating the same thing she had said other times in this situation. Ladybug let the Yoyo hang as it opened like a capsule, just as it began to spin around at incredible speed. "Time to de-evilize!", she exclaims, reeling back and flinging the Yoyo at the creature. The Akuma didn't get very far, and was snatched by the glowing white Yoyo, before retracting and landing back into her hand. "Gotcha!", she exclaims, before clicking the Yoyo back open and letting a pure butterfly emerge. "Bye Bye, little butterfly."

As the butterfly flew off, Ladybug let out a titular "MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!", and watched as the magical Ladybugs reverted Chat and Tigre back to their normal selves. Cat Noir sat on the ground, dazed and confused. "M'lady?", he questions. "How'd I get here?" Ladybug smiles and reassures him. "You and Tigre were Akumatized. Don't worry, I fixed the problem. Say, where'd he go?" After a second, Ladybug spotted him roughly away, staring off into the distance.

"Tigre? Are you alright?", Ladybug asks cautiosly. The boy turned around to face her, blinking for a second to reply. "Yeah. I think so. Damn, I was just going to see my parents, and somehow I ended up here.", he said. Ladybug raised an eyebrow. "Really? You were Akumatized. Are you sure you don't remember anything else?", she asks.

Cat Noir stood uncomfortably, having remembered the fight they had. "..No. I don't know why I was Akumatized. Shit, how long was I out? I need to go see my parents.", he replies. Ladybug choked back a gasp and widened her eyes, Tigre being too confused to notice. Cat Noir read her stare and soon figured out why she was shocked. Both glanced at each other from the corner of their eye, not speaking a single word.

"They're okay, Tigre.", she blurts out, lying through her teeth. "When you went missing, I swung by ad peeked in. It's all good." Tigre rubbed his head and nodded for a second, before turning away. "Thanks Spots.", he spoke. "I'm going to lie down." And just like that, he took off into the city. "Ladybug…" Cat began. "Did you just-"

"I had to!", she exclaimed. "I couldn't tell him that his parents were dead!" Cat shifted uncomfortably, and rubbed the back of his head. "Well what do you expect to do when he eventually goes back there himself?", he rebukes. Ladybug stood silent for a minute, before crying out in anguish and burying her face in her palms. "Shit! I can't believe I lied to him!", she cried.

Hesitantly, Cat Noir reached an arm out to her shoulder. "Ladybug…", he started, his voice trailing off. "Cat, I'm sorry. For cutting you out of .and acting so cold. You didn't deserve that. I just wanted everything to be taken care of, like always.", see profusely apologizing. Sighing, Cat threw her a bone. "It's okay Ladybug. I forgive you." Ladybug nods, hanging her head. "But it's going to be fine, right? I'll save everyone like I always do. It'll all be okay, right?", she questions, practically begging for affirmation.

"Ladybug, please…"

"No, Cat!", she snaps, her eyes welling up with tears. "I need you to _tell _me that it's all going to be okay, and that everyone will be saved." Cat's lips formed a thin line, contemplating the right thing to do, before finally…

"Everything will be okay, M'lady.", he coaxed. Ladybug bit back heavy sobs and sealed him in a tight hug, which Cat Noir half-reluctantly returned, far more troubled by her decision than her would let on.

…

Abel narrowed his eyes at their defeat and lightly tipped Hawk Moth over and let him hit the floor. "Such a waste of time.", he muttered, straightening his cloak. The old man left Hawk Moth be, letting his Miraculous drain itself until he de-transformed. Mayura was in a similar state, and had blood slowly seeping from her nose. With both attackers incapacitated, Abel brushed himself off and strolled over to the end of the room.

Before he could leave, Nathalie's eyes jerked open, her pupils lined with an unfamiliar pale blue. She had no energy to fight back, but her body seemed to have taken on a mind of its own, or was being controlled by an unexplainable force. Abel was feeling too triumphant to notice Nathalie crawl silently to him, as he stood still for a second to travel down the elevator. Taking the brief window of opportunity, Nathalie reached her arm out to a pocket on the side of Abel's cloak,

Right as the old man began to descend, Nathalie glided her hand into the crevice and plucked out a small phone. The woman squeezed the item securely once Abel was taken from the room. On her hands and knees, Nathalie waddled over to the unconscious Gabriel and held him close. Her blue tinted eyes glanced forward, nodding at the angelic entity that had just appeared in front of her very eyes.

…

Once he had de-transformed, Adrien sighed and sat onto his bed, his mind troubled. Plagg had treated himself to a chunk of Camembert while he debated the situation. "Something on your mind?", Plagg asks, having not witnessed the previous fight. As the kwami swallowed a piece of cheese, Adrien shook his head. "No, Plagg.", he lied. "Nothing at all." Adrien laid back comfortably and shut his eyes to collect his thoughts, until Plagg's sudden warning made his blood run cold.

"Adrien... who's that in the corner?"

The model widened his eyes and looked at the shadowy corner of his large room, in which a cloaked figure stood in the darkness, red eyes gleaming. Adrien gasped but was too petrified to scream. He swallowed past his lack of speech and finally choked out a sentence. "Who are you?", the boy questioned.

The man stepped out from the dark and revealed his frail figure, wrapped in a scarlet coat and large hat. "My name is Abel. Perhaps you have heard of me, Cat Noir.", he rasped. Adrien's mouth hung open in feat, recognizing his name but never having seen him in the flesh. "Oh my God. What do you want?", he replied with a hushed voice.

Abel flashed him a toothy grin and reached into his cloak. "A conclusion. It's clear that your friends have been working hard to take me out, so I thought I'd throw them a bone.", he spoke, tossing him a slip of paper. Adrien barely managed to catch it with fumbling hands. On that slip of paper laid a line of letters and numbers, which he was too surprised to describe in detail.

"You want to finish this? You and your two friends meet me at this address. Don't alert the authorities and don't bring anyone else. I have the power to put you and Ladybug's family's through indescribably pain, which I will inflict if you fail to follow my rules.", he explained. "We will see who's fate lines up with destiny."

Abel turned to walk away and held up his amulet, which let released a bright flash that momentarily blinded Adrien and Plagg. Once his vision returned, Abel was gone. The boy and his kwami looked from each other to the corner, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

**A/N: Here we go, y'all. I left a few teasers in for future sequels(if there are any) to keep things interesting. Anyways, as we approach the end of the road, I'd like to thank you guys for reading. The cursed miraculous wielders will be given another scene in the next addition to the story, but explaining everything about them would kill any mystery behind that subplot. Whether or not a sequel that will explain their appearance and the other sudden character introductions sees the light of day, I will try to make it all work out. Anyway, I'll hopefully do you guys proper justice in the next and final chapter, but I'd just like to get my appreciation out there. Thanks, and I hope you'll enjoy the finale. **

**Actually, one more thing. The last chapter will not be nearly this long, because(and this is kind of embarrassing) I haven't thought out the end as well as I would've wanted. It'll take a while to be released, so be patient, because I'll be taking some time to workshop a proper end that will hopefully satisfy you guys. **

**Got any thoughts, suggestions, or requests? Post them in the comments below. **

**Until the final chapter...**


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